


From the Outside Chat-Log

by Jinx_of_the_World



Category: The Outsiders (1983), The Outsiders (TV 1990), The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: 1940s-1950s, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Greaser time period, M/M, Self Confidence Issues, We just want them to be happy, confusion about sexuality, like really, pls, possible NSFW later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-01 23:49:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10203614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinx_of_the_World/pseuds/Jinx_of_the_World
Summary: Chatlog of a Jally RP I'm doing with a friend.CURRENTLY ON HIATUSWILL HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO PICK IT BACK UP IN THE FUTURE





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is actually a RP that I'm doing with a friend of mine but I thought since there isn't to terribly much in The Outsiders fandom I'd post this. It's currently just in chat form but when I get the chance I will be shifting it to an actual story format. I will update this as we finish a day in the RP.

When Johnny heard those cries of the kids who had gotten themselves trapped in the church that had been lit ablaze by his and Pony's own doing he knew they had to help. Ponyboy was the one to actually say it before both of them were off and breaking their way back into the burning church that had been their home for the last few days. They worked diligently to get the kind out one by one as quickly as they could manage. One of them bit Ponyboy and Johnny couldn't help a small smile that had been slowly forming upon his lips. For once he was actually doing something right and he knew it. He was saving these kids, his heart was pounding, and he felt like he couldn't be happier   
  
Within a matter of seconds it all melted away and Johnny began shouting at Pony. "Get out! Get out!" They had managed to get all of the kids out of the church and only the two of them remained. He made sure to shove Ponyboy in front of him, thinking that if only one of them could make it out okay he wanted it to be Pony. He had his brothers who cared about him so much and he knew he had to live.    
  
There was a large sound right behind him and he couldn't help but glance back, stopping for only a split second as the roof started to come down around him. With one quick shove he pushed Ponyboy out of the church and to safety before there was another loud cracking sound and a unbearable pain sprouting from his leg and seeped upwards. He was just barely being able to hold himself together as he heard Dally calling for him as if he was blocks away. It was so faint but he focused on it as much as he could. The pain was unbearable as flames started to try and engulf his body and any sort of movement of his leg caused a sharp stab of pain. His vision began to get engulfed in black, but right before he passed out he saw the face of Dallas Winston and he grabbed ahold of his shoulders and pulled him out.   
  
That was roughly six months ago and Johnny had only recently healed enough to be fully released from the hospital. He'd taken rather severe damage to his legs but a lot of people said he was lucky; informing him that if he been just a few seconds slower the mean would have caught him across the back. Now his leg had been broken but thanks to the great care he was given thanks to his heroics it healed up well and he only occasionally had a bit of a limp. The most obvious signs of his accident though was the burn scars that snaked up his leg and the lighter ones around his wrist and hands where he didn't have any clothing to protect from the flames. Since being released he was taken to trial and they decided he was not guilty for manslaughter given it was purely out of self defence; however, things seemed to get even worse for him since being let out. He no longer had a way to stay away from his home and with the expenses racking up from court and his extended hospital stay his parents seemed to be far more vicious.    
  
Thankfully for the shortest of the gang the Curtis boys had been more than willing to allow him to crash on their couch more than once so he could avoid returning to the abusive household he called his home. That was exactly what he had done last night because after walking back from the nightly double with Dallas and Pony he simply curled up on the couch and dozed off. Now it was morning time and the rundown house was alive with the talk and rushing about of the bulk of the gang with Dally even hanging outside.

  
  
  
  


**The night of the fire haunted his dreams. The image of the blaze, of a large chunk of rafter falling on his friend, it was ingrained into his eyelids. Every night since then had been full of awkward emotional pain that he was unused to and didn't like. Thankfully they had managed to get Johnny to a hospital quick enough, and while he had been healing and getting physiotherapy, the impending doom of potential court issues had dealt with themselves. Thanks to Cherry's testaments and the boys saving those children, Johnny had gotten off scot free, and for that Dally was thankful. For awhile he had been on edge thinking that after all this they would lock Johnny up, but no, he was a free man.** **  
****  
****It had been exceedingly difficult to keep himself from violent outbursts. The whole gang had been on their best behavior while Johnny was in the hospital, going so far as to even stay in most weekends just to avoid potential encounters. Soda and Darry had made it clear that everyone had to keep out of trouble for the best interests of Johnny. Now that he was out and about, things were slowly slipping back into their old ways, except things were different now. Of course they all still pal'd around the same and goofed, but whenever Johnny wasn't present there was a general air of concern between everyone.** **  
****  
****After everything that had gone down, all the pain and stress, all the injustice (as well as justice), it seemed like a kick in the face to have Johnny's parents continue treating him like crap. If it had been anyone else Dally would have told them to suck it up, most everyone got the belt at one time or another and everyone had to toughen up, but in his friend's case, it was just unacceptable. A few times over the past few months he had crept over to Johnny's house to spy, to keep an eye on him, to make sure the poor dumb kid stayed alive. Twice now he had witnessed abuse that echoed his own past, and it enraged him. But he was helpless, unsure of what to do to make his quality of life any better.** **  
****  
****So he started to save up money. He quit booze and smoking for a few months, though on and off again he would do one or the other, or bum some off his gang. Dally wasn't entirely sure what his intentions were; he knew he couldn't simply buy a home of his own, but he began looking into renting apartments. If he could manage to save enough and keep a job, maybe he could get Johnny out of there for good. They were both old enough to make their own decisions and live where they pleased but they all knew the Curtis household wasn't big enough for all of them. It was a hangout, a headquarters of sorts, but too small for six young men to live comfortably.** **  
****  
****Honestly, sometimes he hated it there. He was good at ignoring his feelings of jealousy or spite, knowing that his friends were never trying to make him feel bad specifically just because they (for the most part) got along well. The brothers represented the last fragment of hope for any kind of happy family life, as sad as that was. If they could just keep the Socs off of their backs things might be able to lighten up a bit. Though Johnny had resumed school he didn't seem to go much, and though that angered Dally he also understood. At school, there was very little keeping him from the ever present disdain of the Socs.** **  
****  
****Sometimes he thought about running away and leaving it all behind, starting anew without the pain of having anyone to care for or be cared by. But he could never imagine leaving without Johnny, and he imagined Johnny wouldn't want to leave without Ponyboy. He hated feeling like he was soft just as much as he hated knowing Johnny was still a walking target for too many people in this god forsaken city. Still, lately he'd been contemplating sharing some of his plans with Johnny, especially because last night the kid had showed up with another black eye, another reminder that there were things Dally had no control of. If he beat Johnny's parents black and blue that would only land him in jail again.** **  
****  
** **Currently the tall blond leans against the old house, lost in thought as he watches smoke stream from his mouth. As the smell of delicious pancakes comes wafting out the window he contemplates going for a walk, not really in the mood for cheery breakfast banter. Between cutting down on his bad habits and constantly worrying about Johnny's safety, not to mention working as often as possible while still making time for his friends, he was starting to wear thin. Sleep had never come easily to him but now it seemed scarce and to have a mind of its own. Against his better judgement he'd found himself snapping at the others when he didn't need to, and finding it hard to enjoy anything he usually did.**

  
  
  
  


Quickly feeling a little to overwhelmed after just waking up with everyone going about he stepped outside; having to jump back once to keep from running into Soda as he looked for his shirt. God he lost that thing so often. With a yawn Johnny opened the front door and headed out into the porch before giving a stretching and pulling out his pack of cigarettes. The doctor had told he had to stop smoking since the smoke from the fire had caused a good deal of damage to his lungs and sure he was trying but kicking the habit really wasn't an easy thing. He's at least managed to get down to a pack every few days with occasionally giving one to another member of the gang. As he walked to the edge of the porch the dark haired boy lite up and took a long drag from his cigarette. He'd only gone through a couple last night so he thought of be fine to have one.   
  
"Mornin' Dally." His voice was still a little croaky from having just woken up but that would fade soon enough. Johnny had been noticing that Dally had been more on edge but he thought it was simply a byproduct of the stress and having to sit around so much while they were waiting for his court date to come up. He of course didn't bug him about it, only Darry ever seemed to really try to get Dallas to talk, but he did think about it now and then. He was still pretty nice to Johnny though, well for Dallas standards; however, that was nothing new. He's the pet of the gang and he knows it. Everyone tends to be a little nicer to him and since the fire they've been trying to keep an eye on him and Pony more too. He didn't blame them for it.

  
  
  


**"Mornin' star boy," he replied with a small smile, trying to keep the mood light. Sometimes he made fun of Johnny by calling him a star, or a hero, or something along those lines knowing it would embarrass the kid. He didn't want to make him feel bad or anything but light ripping was just how things went around here. After a moment, he tosses his butt aside and saunters over to the shorter boy. "Sleep okay? It was chilly last night, hope you didn't catch a cold." He stands beside him and snags the cigarette from between his fingers, taking a drag himself.** **  
****  
** **"You know you gotta quit these things someday, your lungs are all messed up enough." He takes another few drags before handing it back to the kid. He avoids looking at Johnny's face, instead leaning on the railing and looking off down the road. "Have you finished all that medicine they gave you? Think you'll ever run again?" He says these things light heartedly but with a frown, having unexpectedly struck a chord with himself. Great, what a way to start off the day.**

  
  
  
  


At the little jab Johnny's face reddened just the slightest bit and he gave Dallas a bit of a look. Ya Just never live things down but that is what it is. "Slept fine." He had been cold but that's nothing to complain about. He at least had a soft place to sleep. With his cigarette back in hand he took another drag before replying. "Yeah yeah. 'M workin' on it. Down to a pack every few day and I'd call that good enough for now." It's not like he ever cared much about his health. Yeah he was fucking terrified when still stuck in the hospital and he was in a real bad condition. It really brought to his attention how close death is and how quickly it can really pass. He's still pretty bad about actually taking care of himself but he at least tried now.   
  
"Finished up the meds last week and my leg still gives me trouble but they say if I keep working on it I should get back to almost being normal. I can run an' all right now, just not too well." He was sort of lying with this. He hadn't actually really tried running since the accident give he was stuck in the hospital for a good chunk of that time. Then once actually getting out he didn't do to much since he still had to be careful about not hurting his leg again and not getting into any trouble.

  
  
  


**"Oh? That so? Let's go for a walk, just you and I, while the going's still good. Maybe jog a little. Your legs are gonna be tender for a while, but you gotta keep stretching them regardless. Knew a guy once who broke a leg and just stopped being physical, a few years later he could hardly walk without a cane." That was a bit of a stretch of the truth but he wanted to spook him a little into keeping active. The healthier Johnny was the better he'd feel, right? "C'mon."** **  
****  
** **He leans into the house briefly and hollers at the others, letting them know the two would be back in a bit. Nobody asked questions, just responded with some hearty goodbyes and warnings to be good. With that out of the way he walks past Johnny and nudges his arm a bit, cocking his head in the direction he was walking. "What say you to ice cream for breakfast? Or would you rather some burgers?" Now that he had a job that he somehow managed to keep, it was nice to be able to treat his friends from time to time. He takes up a brisk pace and watches the other from the corner of his eye, waiting for signs of pain so he can berate Johnny for lying.**

  
  
  


Johnny swallowed hard at the little cautionary tale Dally told. He'd never get that bad since his main way of getting around still tended to be walking but it's still kind of scary that something like that could happen. Or was Dalkas just making something up again? It wouldn't be the first time but Johnny still tended to believe what he said as long as it wasn't totally outlandish.    
  
He didn't move from his spot until he was nudged by Dallas, triggering him to take one last drag from his cigarette before tossing it down and grounding it into the dirt. He did a light jog to catch up to the other greased, biting the inside of his cheek due to the twinge of pain emanating from his knee. It wasn't anything major but it was still noticeable. It also didn't help that once actually catching up he had to fast walk to keep up to Dallas thanks to him having longer legs than the young greaser. "Burger's soundin' pretty good right about now." He was actually fine with anything given he'd learned that no matter what food was good but the burger would be more filling and who knows how much he'll be able to eat or even when he'll eat next. He always felt bad for almost always having to rely on the gang for food but his parents just gave him table scraps if anything at all. He tried to eat small when food was offered though in an attempt to cost them less.

  
  
  


**"Burgers it is. Hell, maybe we'll split a shake. Could use some strawberry delight." He ran a hand through his long hair, only pulling it back briefly as his hair wasn't very greasy, for a greaser. They walk for awhile in relaxed silence, fine enough with each others company to not feel the need to constantly jabber. Johnny wasn't a big talker as it was, much prefer to listen and keep to himself. Dally usually only said things to get a stir out of people or to state a fact, or pull a leg. They walk a few blocks towards downtown and hit up the nearest burger joint, a small greasy deli of sorts with half its seating outside.** **  
****  
****He takes a seat at one of the stools at the counters and waits for a waitress to bring them some menus. "Two cokes to start," He asks as he glances down at the menu with little interest, already knowing what he'd like. Mozza with mushrooms, one of his favorite. "Don't be afraid to get fries, I ain't so broke that it'll put me in the poorhouse." He wants to talk about Johnny's legs, about the wincing, about his recovery, about a lot of things, but remains quiet. His thoughts begin to make him antsy as they wait and he begins to fidget, looking around and over their shoulders out of old habit.** **  
****  
** **"So..." He wants so badly to ask the right question or to say the right thing but he has no idea how to. The idea of telling Johnny about his bank account, about his intentions, dances around in his head and drives him mad. For a moment he thinks he won't be able to handle it, but then their drinks come and they place their order. With that part of things over with he sighs and drums his fingers on the counter. "Uh, how's school?"**

  
  
  


When getting the menu his dark eyes gaze over the words and when asked what he'd like he asked for a simple burger and an order of fries he thought he and Dallas could probably split. Just some cheese, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. It was the smallest thing he could get without getting the absolutely cheapest thing on there. Then once the menu was taken away he took a swig of his coke and gazed at the other. He noticed him being real fidgety, which sure it wasn't to rare of thing, but Dallas normally had some reason behind it. Like when he was doing something he knew the cops would be happy to pick him up for.   
  
At the mention of school he gives a shrug of his shoulders, not to terribly happy to be on this topic. Darry already talked to him about it once and his mom always held him failing everything over his head. "Bad but that's nothing new." He wasn't the smartest kid and since none of the teachers were ever willing to actually give him help and he didn't want to bug any of the gang with it he just sort of gave up one it. He'd rather just sit in the Curtis house or out in the lot than sit around feeling like an idiot with socs messing with him when they go the chance.   
  
He was quiet for several seconds before speaking up. "Hey Dal... You okay? You're real..fidgety right now."

  
  
  


**Though he had never liked school much himself, nor been very good at it, he knew it was relatively important to lead a normal life. Thus it was important to him that Johnny graduate if it was possible. The kid definitely wasn't stupid, just lacked motivation and guidance. Dally often thought to offer to help but he knew he wouldn't be of much use since he hadn't put much effort into it himself. Still, maybe there was some way he could keep Johnny interested in it. "You know it doesn't gotta be bad, right? I know it sucks there and all the teachers are nearly as awful as the students, but if you graduate you'll have a much easier time getting a better job. Working in factories ain't really all that glamorous."** **  
****  
** **His job was working with chickens, or more specifically, with eggs and chicks. He helped out on a farm with incubation and egg collecting, and sometimes transportation. It was a tough job with long hours and not a lot of slack, but it was worth it for a shot at a future, or so he hoped. "Trust me. Anyway, I think you and Pony ought to just spend some time in the library together, he ain't so dumb himself. I'd offer to tutor you but the only stuff I'm good at is illegal." He almost blushes but refuses to let himself be as embarrassed as he feels. It wasn't easy for him to show he cared. Instead Dally shrugs his shoulders and offers another small smile, if only to try to comfort the other. "Do you... do you ever think about the future?" It was a weird question for him to ask since none of them were fond of thinking too far ahead, and with nothing to look forward to who could blame them.**

  
  
  


"I know it's suppose to make things easier 'n all but I don't know Dally.... None of it ever clicks on my mind like it does with Pony's." At Dally's remark about only being good at illegal stuff Johnny have a hint of a smile. Sure Dally was probably the best out of all of the gang at breaking the law but he still seemed like a smart enough guy to Johnny. "I guess me and Pony could try goin' to the library but if we were ever late Ponyboy could get in trouble with Darry again and I don't want to be the cause a that anymore...."   
  
At the question he looked down at the coke he held between his scarred hands. "I try not to really... Don't even really like thinking about what the next day might bring let alone to the proper future." He was scared to think about it to be truthful. What bad things might happen, what beating his father might give, if his life will ever go anywhere, if he'll ever become more than just some greaser that's scared of his own shadow.

  
  
  


**Dally could relate to him all too well. The only things that ever clicked with him seemed to cause trouble or get someone hurt. "Yeah, well, just don't stay out late," He replies simply, unaware of the incident that had happened between Darry and Ponyboy months ago. Darry was a good young man and a good older brother; everyone slipped up sometimes, but it was highly unlikely that even with all his new responsibilities he would end up anything like an abusive drunk. Dally figured if any of the Curtis boys had issues with each other they'd deal with it as best they could and not resort to petty bullying. Life may have been miserable but that was no reason to let it sour any one of them entirely.** **  
****  
** **Some days he felt entirely too sour, like perhaps he was bringing the rest of his gang down with his intensity, but he couldn't just change his ways overnight. Dally had been trying his hardest to turn his life around, and it hadn't been easy so far but he still had his job and that was a good sign. Anger came easy to him and with anger came accidents and incidents. Almost every night he found himself wanting to walk around, willing anyone to come mess with him, especially a certain someone who had scarred Johnny for life (physically and emotionally it seemed). At the downtrodden look of him, Dally reaches over and squeezes his shoulder a little, then ruffles his hair. "Well, you know what, I'm like that too. But I think I might have a surprise for you." He hadn't really meant to say anything, not yet at least, but was surprised by how easily it slipped out.**

  
  
  


He looked up to the other with confusion laced in his expression and eyes. A surprise could easily be good or bad from the gang but with his Dally spoke Johnny was leaning towards it being something good, or at least that's what he was really hoping. Although could have done without the hair ruffling since it was now more messed up than it had been before. He always greased his hair but could only do so much to try and style it given he used a relatively small amount. Had to make it last as much as possible so he'd only out in enough to get the general look he wanted. Not to mention he only ever got a real chance to shower when at the Curtis house so the natural oils that gather on his head helped it along some. He didn't much like it but again it was one of the situations where you get what you can and do the best with it.   
  
"Like what?" There was just a hint of hopefulness hidden in his dark eyes as he gazed into the face of the other. Is this surprise what had been making Dallas so fidgety, and if it was what was so big that put him on edge like that?

  
  
  


**He takes a deep breath and is surprised by how much energy the look on Johnny's face gives him. Still, Dally is nervous and unsure if Johnny will even like the sounds of it, but he decides to quell his fears and just go with it. Being nervous was something new to him, and so far it only ever seemed to happen when it involved this kid. "Well, I don't wanna be weird or nothin', and it's totally not a for sure thing yet, I've been checking out a few places but not everyone's keen to talk with a guy like me." He shrugs and glances around again, then lowers his voice and hunches forward a bit. He sips on his coke and thinks over his words a bit longer. "See, what I mean is, I've been saving away some cash from each paycheck. Never done it before, never really cared about having anything in the future, but..."** **  
****  
** **He falters, suddenly lacking the words that were just there. Sheepishly, an uncharacteristic thing for him, Dally looks away to hide his embarrassment. After a few moments and another sip of coke, he clears his throat. "Well, I was thinkin' I should get on outta Buck's hair and crash somewhere else." He glances over at Johnny and tries to relax even though he feels even more nervous now. What for? He doesn't know. "A space of my own. As much as I like hanging out with the guys, a man needs some time to himself, right? And since I'm almost 18 I should be a more suitable candidate. Plus, I already bought a couch." For one reason or another Dally can't bring himself to outright ask if Johnny wanted to live with him, instead just leaving it hanging in the air as is.**

  
  
  


This was..... The oddest thing Johnny thinks he had ever seen. Dallas Winston was sitting right next to him and getting.. Flustered? Yeah he wanted to say flustered or embarrassed about getting a house and sort of inviting Johnny to stay with him. Sure he did ot in a rather roundabout way but Johnny thought that's what the other was trying to hint at. He didn't know how to respond. He loved his parents and didn't really want to leave them, worried about what might happen, but everything had been so bad there recently. He'd been knocked unconscious a lot more recently and his father had stopped caring about making sure he was alive vone the end of the beating. He would just tell at him to get up or move and when he didn't he's give one last kick to his head and stumble off. Yeah okay his dad wasn't the best and his mom screamed at him all the time, but they were his family.   
  
"Are ya askin' if I wanna come live with you of ya get a place? 'C-cuz if so I just don't know, Dal.... I don't think I can just leave my home and parents. They're my family, ya know? A-and I still love 'em and don't want nothing bad to happen if I left.... I-I'm not sayin' I don't want to it's just....... I just don't know...." He had gone back to looking at his hands and the coke bottle, biting the inside of his lip and holding a slightly guilty and very conflicted expression. He just didn't know what to do. He never thought something like this would ever happen because he didn't want to give himself raise hope, but now that it's here... He just doesn't know what to do.

  
  
  


**His cheeks turn red at Johnny's words and he can feel the heat radiating from his face, so he just keeps looking to the side and decides to light a cigarette. Though the place wasn't too busy it looked like it would be a few more minutes before their food came out, and hell, who was he to care about smoking while eating? Dally puffs on the cigarette and thinks things over a bit, and eventually realizes he's left the other boy with too long of a silence. He turns back to him with a sigh, clearly none too pleased, but he doesn't sound too upset when he speaks. "Tell me, what's really keeping you there? You got nothing. They ain't gonna offer nothing." He takes a moment to smoke again, trying to keep the venom out of his voice.** **  
****  
** **"I guess I can respect your decision even if I think it's stupid." He smokes some more and frowns. "You don't have to do anythin' you don't wanna, but I promise I'll always have a place for you, and food too, and don't you go being all too good for my kindness. If I buy you something you better take it." Though he seems a little down about things, he also seems to be keeping a somewhat level head. "You and me both know I'm not really good at the whole being kind thing, so don't tell anyone about this yet. And for the record, you wouldn't have to be afraid of getting beat up 'cause I'd never do that to you." It's hard not to let some spit dribble through at that. Dally keeps his eyes on what little of the kitchen he can see, too afraid of the overwhelming sensation of all these emotions. He wanted nothing more than to make some kind of life for the kid, give him some kind of chance, but boy was he not expecting to feel so much.**

  
  
  


A lump formed in his throat and he feels all to uneasy at the prolonged silence after he spoke. Hell Dallas wouldn't even look at him. Then once he spoke again Johnny have a shrug. "They're family and my mom ain't too bad. If I'm gone my dad might turn all his beatings onto her and she don't deserve that..."   
  
When Dallas said Johnny better not think he's too good for the kindness he was showing him he felt a pull at his heart. It's not that he was to good for it. If anything he didn't deserve the kindness that Dally was showing him. "I'll think about it. I promise I will..." He tried so hard to keep his voice steady but it cracked a little as he spoke. At least he managed to keep any sort of stutter out of it.   
  
"An' I'll keep my mouth shut about it... When I figure it out I'll tell ya..." The whole time Johnny's head had still been down but he would gaze at Dallas from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge the other's reaction as he didn't want to keep saying the wrong thing and make Dallas mad. He said he would never hurt him but he could still be mighty scary when mad.

  
  
  


**At word of Johnny's mother not deserving it, Dally lets out a snort, clearly feeling otherwise about that. Still, he understood why Johnny thought he was helping but he wished that he could make the other boy realize it wasn't worth it. It was so much easier to get by in life when all you cared about was yourself, and he wanted to teach that to Johnny without ruining him more than he'd already been. He thinks of the Socs, of Johnny’s parents, of his own parents, of old times, and before he knows it the waitress is setting down their plates before them. The milkshake she leaves between them and Dally pushes the fancy part to Johnny, opting for the leftovers in the metal cup.** **  
****  
****The food is a welcome distraction. He outs his cigarette and takes a sip of the milkshake, then makes an "mmmm mmm" noise in satisfaction. Though he's got a million things to be pissed off about he relaxes somewhat. It wasn't all bad that Johnny had a conscience, it just wasn't fair that he'd been tricked into thinking it was worthwhile to stay where he was. Dally eats his whole meal like the hungry working man he is and doesn't say anything until the burger is gone and most of the shake as well. He steals a few fries and stares at the list of beverages and toppings along the back of the counter.** **  
****  
** **"Well, I'm going to look at a place tomorrow afternoon. I've never really rented a place by myself before." The idea makes him a little uncomfortable but he's been through worse. "You maybe wanna tag along? Could play hooky for the afternoon." Truth be told he'd been looking for ways to spend more time with the kid for ages, but rarely ever found the time unless he was taking Johnny and Pony to a movie or something. Hell, sometimes Pony and Johnny seemed attached at the hip. It wasn't that Ponyboy was annoying or anything, he just didn't elicit the same kind of feelings that Johnny did.**

  
  
  


The food was just as welcomed for Johnny as it was for Dallas and he started eating. He wasn't a real big kid and he really wasn't used to eating much so he only had a bit over half his burger, some fries, and the portion of the shake Dallas had pushed towards him. He was happy to have food in his stomach to go tinue on with this conversation. He wanted to tag along but what if he really liked the look of the place? It would make it even harder to decided if he should stay with his parents or not. Before he could stop himself and think anymore the words just slipped from his lips. "I'll tag along. Wasn't really planin' on going to school tomorrow anyways." In the end he guessed it was good. Better than going around by himself or hovering around at the Curtis house all day again. He'd found himself in that predicament a lot recently and really didn't much care for it. He liked having company better given it helped him feel a little more at ease. Probably the most so when he was with Dallas. He wasn't sure why but maybe it was because he was so tough and had stepped up and helped him and Pony when he killed the soc.

  
  
  


**There had been a few times in the past where Dally had wanted to invite Johnny over, especially when he knew the kid was going to sleep in a park, but all he had was a small room in a loud, busy space. It wasn't really a hang out spot unless you were there to drink, gamble, and watch some bull riding. Dally himself rarely rode the bull, preferring the other aspects of the ring, but regardless he knew Johnny would be uncomfortable in that setting even if he'd been invited. "Well, I'll come pick you up around 1:30 then." He hesitates a little before adding, "Thanks. I'm kind of worried I'm gonna blow it, I won’t mean to but I'll say something rude and get kicked out." He laughs to make it a joke even though it's a legitimate concern. "Is that all you're gonna eat? What if you get hungry later?" He wanted to tell the kid to get the rest packed up, but he didn't want to embarrass him or something either.**

  
  
  


Johnny gave a small smile. "Course Dal. 'M sure it'll be fine anyways." Sure Dallas He a mouth on him but he had faith that he could keep it under check just for the span of time that it would take to check the place out. If not at least Johnny could be there to apologize for him since apologizing had never really been Dally's thing. "I'll get something to pack It up in before we leave. Ya know I don't eat too much anyways." He'd probably put it in the Curtis' fridge and if someone else ate it he'd be okay with it. It's just sort of happened when so many people hung out there and there was a lack of food at times.   
  
Johnny stifled a yawn, having gotten very little proper sleep last night thanks to off and on nightmares and the cold seeping in and waking him up. He might try to get some more sleep if he made it back to the Curtis house but other than that there wasn't really any place to sleep during the day. Sure he could curl up in the lot again but he'd be really visible to everyone passing by and he's really not feeling up to possibly getting jumped.

  
  
  


**He grins and nods at the shorter boy and seems relieved. Generally Dally tried not to show emotion or weakness, but he was glad to know someone who could address it properly without embarrassment. A few moments later he waves down the waitress and asks her to pack up Johnny's leftovers, pays and tips her, and finishes the last sip of his milkshake. With their meal concluded he stands and looks outside. It's a sunny day out but still a bit of chill with the approach of winter. Only some of the trees have started to turn but soon enough leaves would be everywhere.** **  
****  
****When Johnny takes his leftovers Dally heads out, hands in his pockets. He's only in a t shirt and jeans but knows soon enough they'll need to wear jackets, not that Johnny didn't wear his jean jacket almost every day. Dally supposed it was probably the closest thing the kid had to a blanket. He wanders off into thought about what Johnny's room was like (it was on the second floor so Dally had never seen into it, no nearby trees or anything) as he walks slowly back to the Curtis household. Eventually he lights another cigarette, noticing his pack is getting low.** **  
****  
** **It is then that he decides this will be the year he gets presents for his gang. Nothing big or fancy, but a gift for everyone, something he's not once considered doing in his past. He thinks he'll get Johnny a blanket and leave it on the couch, and Pony will get some new pencils, maybe charcoal... He realizes he hasn't said much of anything the whole trip and glances over at Johnny, wondering why he hadn't said anything either. "What's your plans for the day?"**

  
  
  


With his food in one hand and the other tucked away in his pockets Johnny walked down the street; ending up being a few steps behind the other. The silence was actually sort of welcomed for him since it gave him real time to think about what Dally had offered. A new home where he would actually be safe and have something soft to sleep in regularly. His room right now consisted of one old set of drawers that he got off the street and a couple blankets set up on his floor to act as a place to sleep. He had a He'd once but when his dad started to go through his booze quicker he took it and sold it to file his alcoholism. Even when he had a bed it was a pretty bad one with springs sticking out of it here and there but it was better than the floor. The blankets he had were something he had to slowly accumulate as time passed and whenever his father or mother came in they would take then away saying that he didn't deserve them. It's not like they really did anything for adding or warmth since they were threadbare but really anything was better than nothing.    
  
When Dallas spoke Johnny jumped a Tony be, being yanked from his thoughts and brought back to the world. "Uh.. Nothin' really. I kind of need to go home at some point to not piss my dad off to much. Maybe hang out with Pony some cuz we're trying to finish a book."

  
  
  


**"A book for school or you guys getting soft on me?" He nudges him teasingly. Truth be told the older ones of the gang quietly hoped Johnny and Pony might stand a better chance at life and thus were always rooting for them, even if they bugged them about being good students. Pony was the one who really had a shot because Johnny had given up too soon, but Dally never really lost hope for the kid. "Eh, better than slinking around the streets. If you guys are up for it I could take you to the movies tomorrow."** **  
****  
****Lately he seemed to be the only one paying attention to the younger members, save for Two-bit but he was easily distracted and hardly went to school anyway. It was weird and sometimes he wanted to bring it up with Darry, but he never did because Darry had been working the longest and the hardest out of all of them. Though it had nearly been a year since the passing of their parents, Darry was still a bit salty about having to be the adult. Soda had been pulling his weight for the most part, and they never really went hungry (there were always potatoes at the very least), but aside from making money he seemed more interested in girls. That was fine and all but sometimes Dally wondered if he preferred Steve over the gang.** **  
****  
** **The house is about a block away when Dally slows down, then stops. Hands back in his pocket he gazes over at the place and feels a small hint of apprehension. "Hey, I'm gonna head off, I'll catch you later eh? Stay out of trouble." Once again he ruffles Johnny's hair before heading off to see Buck.**

  
  
  


"Okay." Johnny gave a nod as a farewell to Dallas and continued his walk. He ended up at the Curtis house where he and Pony read through the next chapter of the book before he had to leave and head for his house. He hadn't been home in a few days for more than an hour or two. One time he didn't come home for a straight week and his dad had beat him half to death.

  
  
  


**He heads back and helps clean up for the nightly rodeo shenanigans before heading off to work. Late into the night he finally makes it home and crashes after a few beers courtesy of Buck, who was still trying to get him to participate in the rodeo due to how Dally hyped up the crowd. He wasn't really interested in having two jobs though.**


	2. Day 2

Come the next day he had greasy bruises that were mostly hidden by his clothes and a split lip. He thought he might have a cracked rib or two as well but it's not like he could really get it taken care of. It wasn't the first time either so who cared. He tried to go to school that day but only made in through two periods before bailing out and playing hooky for the rest of the day. He hung around the lot until around 1:00 when he headed to the Curtis house so Dallas could come pick him up. As he waited He absentmindedly chewed on his fingernails as he tried to read the book he was assigned for English. He didn't like it much but it was what it was in the end. When it got to be about 1:25 he put the book in the house so he wouldn't have to carry the thing around. Then he pulled out a cigarette, the first one he'd had that day, and lit it.

  
  
  


**When he wakes up it's half past 12 and he curses, jumping out of bed. He digs through his closet for his least greasy and ripped up outfit; a plain white dress shirt he'd once worn to a funeral that was missing the two top buttons, and a pair of jeans with a few patches in them. He tried to clean his boots a bit but had nothing to clean them with.** ****  
**  
** **As Dally makes the short trip over to the Curtis household he feels his nerves acting up again and scolds himself, hating the fact that he cared at all about whatever the old lady had to say to him about the place. He chain smoked the rest of his pack before even arriving, tossing the empty pack in the ditch outside the house. He spots Johnny and offers a nod, not bothering to go all the way up to the house and instead waiting for Johnny to walk over to him before continuing his walk. "Gunna make a stop at the corner shop, you want anything?" He steals a few glances at Johnny and frowns. Sure, he doesn't look so bad, but he doesn't look so great either, and most of him is covered.**

  
  
  


When Darry came into sight Johnny went ahead and got to his feet and walked to meet him. Like normal he fell in behind Dallas and a bit to the side so they could still see one another well enough. He gave a small shake of his head. "'M good." He really wasn't hungry and didn't need anything other than maybe some aspirin. He didn't want to ask for any and seem like a wimp about it. Its nothing new and it's not the last time of will happen. Just grit your teeth and move on. God that was like his mantra at this point and it was such shit. He just couldn't break away from. It though, at least not until he could be away from his parents for good.

  
  
  


**They make their way to the small store and Dally does his business, getting himself a pack of cigs and both of them a coke even though Johnny hadn't asked for anything. Now that he had more funds on hand (not a lot, but enough) he felt weird whenever he'd buy something for himself and not for whoever he was with, provided they were worth it to him. He talks about his evening in a mild and casual manner, complaining a bit about some of his coworkers who were slacking and causing his job to suffer a bit. It was obvious he was nervous in the way he was talking more than usual, about boring things, and stumbling over his words a bit.** ****  
**  
** **By the time they reached the apartment, a fairly small and slightly run down place, he wants to just keep on walking and forget about the whole thing. Instead he just stops and looks at the places and heaves a sigh. "Bum a cig?" He asks with a frown. "Just need a moment to clear my head before, you know, I gotta be all proper and shit. She sounded like an older woman so she's gonna take one look at me and kick me outta the place I bet," He ends with a small, forced laugh.**

  
  
  


The shorter greaser stayed quiet for the most part as they walked; simply allowing Dally to ramble a little. Sure it was sort of uncharacteristic for him but he was stressed and sometimes just rambling a bit could help. When he was given the Coke he gave Dallas a but if a look since he hadn't wanted anything but accepted it anyways since he had already bought it.    
  
"Course man." With that he fished the pack out from his back pocket and handed him one. "It'll be fine Dal." Well at least he hopes so. It seemed like Dallas really wanted a place and it'd be good to have more than just the Curtis house to to go.

  
  
  


**Thankfully he finds comfort in the words instead of anger at himself. He smokes the cigarette quickly and tosses it into the gutter before approaching the door. He rings the bell for the landlady and waits for her to come and let them in. It seems to take her too long and by the time she shows up he's tapping his foot impatiently, but stops when he sees her. Straightening up, he brushes back his hair and plasters a beautiful fake smile on his face, big and wide and friendly. He shakes her hand when she opens the door, introduces himself and his friend, then the three walk inside and she leads them up to the fourth floor.**

 

**She rattles on about the building and about how she prefers people keep their tvs down (good thing he didn't have one), and all sorts of mundane things. Every moment seems like an hour and he's bored out of his mind. Everything inside of him wants to bail but somehow he manages to keep the act up. It seems having Johnny with him, who Dally told her was basically his brother, is a good thing. A few times throughout the old lady dotes on him, going so far as forcing the boys to her apartment after they look around to have some tea and biscuits.** ****  
****  
**Dallas Winston was not a tea and biscuits type of person. He allows her to coddle Johnny for a few moments before piping up and telling her he will have to be leaving soon to head to work (okay, so maybe it was in a few hours but she didn't know that). He's a bit afraid to ask if she is gonna let him rent the place or not but at the very last moment, while she's waving them out the door and wishing them well, she tells him to give her a call tomorrow. Things seem good. About a half a block away he lets out a howl and punches the air in a fit of energy, glad it's over with and hopeful for tomorrow.** ****  
**  
** **"Did ya see that? She was all over you. Too bad she's probably older than the moon." He nudges him playfully, in a good mood now that they were free. The place had smelled funny, that typical old musty smell, but other than that it seemed fine. The apartment was a bachelor sweet, pretty basic and small, but the bathroom, sink, stove, and even ac worked so he really couldn't complain. She had even mentioned smoking was allowed provided a window was cracked open (probably cuz the old woman herself had been a smoker). "Maybe I can get ya a date."**

  
  
  


Johnny gave a smile as well just to seem like an okay kid since he still obviously looked like a greased. He hadn't done anything other than changing his clothes before leaving the house. And he was fine just going through but as soon as the old woman started to dote on him he grew a little uncomfortable. It was so weird given no one had ever really done anything like that to this existent plus it was a complete stranger. He still keep a kind expression though and would give simple little replies of she ever asked anything. Then as soon as Dally said he had work and they needed to go he couldn't be happier. Once he was outside he was able to breath a little easier and by the time Dallas celebrated He had relaxed.    
  
With a lopsided grin he watched the other punch the air. "God no man. I'm good just hangin' with you." He didn't really think much about what he was saying. Hanging with Dally and Pony is just how he spent the bulk of his time. Plus even if the chick was anywhere near his age he just wasn't good interacting with them. He still remember one time when Sylvia had tried coming onto him and it had to be the most uncomfortable thing he'd ever dealt with.

  
  
  


**For some reason, a reason he'd rather not give much thought to, he feels a little weird about what Johnny said. It gives him a weird fluttery feeling in his chest, something he's not used to at all let alone from a friend. It was usually the kind of feeling that came along with successfully scoring with a chick. So he ignored it and smoked. "Yeah, I guess that kinda jazz ain't really your bag." He rolls his shoulders a few times and cracks his knuckles, wanting to do something to release all this energy he had.** ****  
**  
** **"Pretty sure I got this thing, and that you helped me get it. I owe you one. I think I wanna celebrate but maybe it's premature." Honestly he was a bit excited to tell the others about it, maybe have a few beers with Darry and Two-bit since the others weren't old enough to get into Buck's place. "You down for a little party?”**

  
  
  


Johnny gives a shake of his head to really solidify that no, it wasn't his thing in the slightest. Practically everyone else seemed to be okay with it but Johnny just never really knew what to do. "Ya really don't owe me anythin' Dally. You've helped me plenty in the past."   
  
He went ahead and said that sure, he was up for a little partying , but it wasn't much his thing either. Him a Dallas were almost complete polar opposites with a lot of this stuff. Johnny actually liked to keep to his small group which consisted of the gang where as Dallas always seemed to enjoy going out to parties or to a bar. The short greaser just didn't like things that made him interact with new people much but would still tag along a lot of the time. He needed the distractions and working on getting better with interacting with people outside of his group wasn't a bad thing he guessed.

  
  
  


**Well you've helped me too, probably more than you know." It was true. A few times in the past when their gang had encountered others, Johnny had been the voice of reason, and not because he was afraid of things but because he was less emotionally charged than Dallas. "I'm really glad you're out of the hospital." Again he hasn't really meant to say that, not exactly, ans is a bit surprised by himself. After the fire, he'd been pretty worried that Johnny wouldn't make it and the idea of a life without the kid hurt too much to bare.** ****  
**  
** **"You sure are a survivor. I think it's about time you were treated like the man you are. Let's go tell the gang, whoever's around, that I've got myself an actual place. I hope they don't wanna come see it." He laughs at the idea of cramming all of them inside the tiny space, but then again, they were sort of used to tiny spaces. "You should come celebrate with me tonight at Buck's."**

  
  
  


Johnny gave a small and rather forced smile and gave a shrug. Dallas was right, he didn't know. He saw himself more as a burden than anything so often; especially now since he had a bum leg. He probably wasn't gonna be much help in rumbles anymore given he wouldn't be able to maneuver very well and the random aches and pains from it could really mess with the gang trying to get something done.    
  
His heart tightened slightly and all those negative thoughts that had surfaced in his mind were pushed away. It always gave him this funny feeling when Dallas said somethin' real nice that Johnny could actually take to heart. "'M glad to be out 'a there myself." Sure being out of there meant more of a reason to go home but it also meant he could be with the gang again. Those months stuck in the hospital had been torture to him. A constant court case hovering over his head, minimized time with the gang since the doctors and nurses kept kicking them out because he 'needed his rest' or had to start his physical therapy.    
  
With a real smile this time he nods to the other, trying to ignore the odd feeling in his chest. He was sure whoever was there would be happy to hear the news. "Oh... Sure Dal." He smiled up at the older greaser when he offered to have him come party at Buck's with him that night. He was a little hesitant but didn't really let it show. He'd been in Buck's a couple times durring a party but it was never there to actually party. Most of the time it was just sort of passing through to get to Dally or he was following him up to his room to talk more in private, much like the night he'd killed Bob.

  
  
  


**They make it to the Curtis house and Dally opens the door without knocking. Half the time the thing was never locked anyway. In the kitchen, Ponyboy is sitting at the table with a sandwich and a book, and he greets them with a smile and a wave. "Guess what?" He takes a seat across from him, sitting on the chair backwards to lean his arms on the back of it. "You shoulda seen it Pony. Johnny pulled the moves on this old lady and I'm pretty sure that that means I got myself a legitimate place! No more sleeping over yeehaws and bar brawls for me." It would be kind of nice to go to bed in a place where the music from the bar didn't vibrate the walls.** ****  
**  
** **Ponyboy laughs and lightly punches Johnny's arm (very lightly, 'cause he never knows where the kid might have a bruise today). "Wow, that's amazing guys, congrats." He gives Johnny a momentary weird look, a look somewhere between pity and curiosity. "Where at?" Dally tells him the address and describes the place, then goes on to describe the old lady with a bit of a flourish. The two rib Johnny a little since he'd never really been into the hooking up scene before, but it's all light and playful, though still kind of a dick move.**

  
  
  


Johnny comes in after Dallas and makes sure the front door actually closes to keep in what heat the place might have. With the colder weather slowly but surely moving in it was best to try and keep in the warmth. When Dallas took a seat Johnny simply stood at the side of the table; not wanting to actually sit right now. At the mention of the old woman Johnny gave Dallas a bit of a look of a lack of amusement and just a tiny bit of embrasement. He was making it sound like was trying to pick up the old lady where he really had just been trying to get out of there.    
  
With the punch to his arm he lightens up a bit, happy to see Pony wasn't taking what Dallas to said seriously. When they both started ribbing him he moved and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed with a slightly unhappy but still amused look. There was also a underlying embarrassment b8ut he tried to not let it show through to much. "Yeah, yeah. You two have your fun but if she ever gives me cash or anythin' I'm keepin' it for myself." He had a hint of a smile upon his face now as he gazed over at the two.

  
  
  


**The boys burst out laughing at that, and it sure is a good feeling to be having a moment like this. Dally feels like he hasn't had such a genuine laugh in years. "Or anythin'," Dally echos with a grin. He pulls the pack of cigs out of his pocket and sets it on the table, fiddling with the edges somewhat. Once Ponyboy realizes they're staying for awhile, he closes his book and they all shoot the shit. He pulls out a deck of cards and they play some rummy, mostly killing time until the other boys showed up.** ****  
****  
**Two-bit was first to arrive about an hour later and he congratulates Dally with a pat on the back, and suddenly the ribbing of Johnny picks up again. Of course Two-bit had something to say about Johnny and the old woman. Later, Soda shows up but doesn't stick around too long, having a double date at the movies with his pal. He doesn't bother Johnny with teasing, just congratulates Dally and goes about his business. When cards becomes boring Dally stretches and looks in the fridge to see if there's anything to drink. So long as he resupplied it, or left money for Darry, it wasn't a problem.** ****  
**  
** **There's not a lot inside of the fridge but there is a six pack at the bottom, so he takes one and leaves a dollar in its place. At this point, Two-bit is trying to show Pony (and Johnny if he's paying attention) a card trick. Dally takes a seat outside on the front step and shivers a bit. The wind has picked up slightly and with the sun setting, the temperature has dropped. He contemplates going out for food, always hungry, but doesn't know what he wants. Sipping at his beer, he realizes he left his cigarettes inside (Two-bit and Pony had bummed a few, he didn't mind or care though he knew he should watch how much he spent) and heads back in. "Think I'm off soon, gotta stuff my belly and get over to Buck's. You comin'?" He looks at Johnny.**

  
  
  


Johnny took the ribbing pretty well and was even able to shoot a few things back at Two-Bit, getting used to all this again and laughing along with the others.It had been a long time since they had a time like this and god was it needed. Things were feeling sort of normal again. He said hey to Soda when he showed up but other than that he didn't talk with him. Soda didn't really talk to him much anymore but that's just sort of what happens he guesses. Soda has tons of other things on his mind, mostly girls and work it seems, but that's all good. He still would always have Pony to talk with and Dallas was pretty reliable too.   
  
When Dallas stood up Johnny looked at him, smiling and laughing lightly from something Two had said just seconds before. His eyes stayed on him for a few seconds before turning back to Two-Bit to watch him show off with some card tricks. He wasn't the best at them but it was still fun to watch and tended to be amusing even when he messed it up. At the sound of Dally's voice the smallest greaser lifts his head and looks over to him. "Yeah." With a quick goodbye to Pony and Two-Bit he picks up the pack of cigarettes and grabs one from it before tossing the pack to Dallas. Once he's outside he lights the one he took and takes a drag from it. Some of the gang smoked inside but Johnny always tried to some outside just to be decent. His leg is giving him a bit for trouble from stay mostly still for so long so he has the slightest of limp but it wasn't enough to slow him down. It was more just of an annoyance with a very light twinge of pain.

  
  
  


**Dally lights up as well and then opens the beer without a second thought. Sure he /could/ get caught and someone /could/ cause trouble, but he knew a few routes that were less populated and thus, for the most part, they would be able to avoid an encounter on the way. He alternates between drinking his beer and taking a drag. They walk quietly for a little bit as they cut through the lot, both of them glancing around out of habit. They pass the spot Johnny sometimes sleeps in without a second look, or at least Dallas tries not to. He wasn't in the mood for downer thoughts right now.** ****  
****  
**He wanted to make sure this was a good time for Johnny. It wasn't the weekend so chances were things would be fairly tame, but might still be crowded. There would still be most of the usual things going on, just a little less of the aggressive stuff. It was important that they had this moment of joy without anyone causing the kid anxiety. Dally figured if it got too busy or too much for the kid they'd just go upstairs for a bit and relax. As they approach the bar from a block and a half, a car whizzes by and a few jockey voices hoot and holler at them. Somebody throws a fountain drink at them but it lands a few feet away.** ****  
****  
**Dally just flips them off and hollers back enthusiastically, "You candyass bozos go n’ take daddy’s car on back home, get that hunka junk off the streets!” For whatever reason they don’t turn around and chase them, which leaves him both grateful and disappointed. They walk the last stretch to Buck’s and Dally leads him to the bar, taking a seat on a stool. Of course, anyone in there could take one look at Johnny and know he was way too young to be there, but because he was with Dallas nobody would bother. The bartender comes up to them and he orders them shots of Jameson. “You have a preference of drink or what?”** ****  
**  
** **There were a few groups littered around the space, a few playing poker and others gathered around a fenced in bit. Some gaudy country hit blared through the speakers. The night was still young so nothing in particular was happening yet, but there seemed to be some kind of set up for an event going on.**

  
  
  


As the Socs drove by and yelled at them Johnny couldn't help but tense up; however, he was able to relax in a couple minutes since they seemed to have no interest in pursuing him and Dallas. Maybe they were actually at least sort of honoring the deal that was made at the big rumble. They were on greaser turf but they at least weren't trying to jump them. As always though Dallas had something smart to shout back at them as they drove off; Johnny himself staying quiet and just watching the shiny car with a wary eye.   
  
Once arriving Johnny sticks close to Dally, His gaze flitting around the place. For once he could actually breath while in here. Normally there was way too many people and it created a stuffy, almost suffocating environment. He took a seat on the stool next to the one Dallas had sat down on and continued looking around a little until Dally asked him a question. "Not really. Don't do much drinkin' since I tend to end up followin' a lot of the rules Pony does." He never went anywhere to get booze and when at the Curtis house he and Pony weren't allowed to drink. Not to mention drinking just wasn't really something he pursued due to the ever looming paranoia of that if he ever got real drunk he might turn into something that resembled his father.

  
  
  


**"Ah, you're such a good kid," He pats Johnny's shoulder and points at the shot. "Guess we'll just try a few things 'til we find something you like." He smiles, not really thinking about any bad connotations Johnny might have with alcohol due to his parents. From Dally's perspective, damn near everyone drank. It was something one did to ease the burden of the day; some people just took it too far. He was sure that one day, if he wasn't careful, he'd end up being one of those loser scumbags who depended upon it.** ****  
**  
** **"Cheers Johnny," He clinks his little shot glass against Johnny's and sips it back. It's not the smoothest thing but he's more used to it than his friend. The bartender, a young woman who had been a senior when Darry was in school, seemed to be amused by the two of them. Dally orders them each a rye and coke, figuring Johnny might want something a little less strong. Getting him drunk too quickly would be a bad time for both of them.**

  
  
  


"Kay.." When Dallas tossed his drink back Johnny does as well, getting it as far back in his mouth as he could before swallowing. It burned and left an odd flavor in his mouth but he took it without much of a grimace. He did have to hold back a bit of a cough though given he was just wasn't used to it. Clearing his throat he spoke up. "Not as bad as I thought it might be." He sure wouldn't want it again; however, he would never say that in front of any of the gang. He might be the pet but he still tried his best to act tough with most things. He just had a hard time with violence now thanks to all that has happened. He was definitely happy when Dallas got them something that was more tame to drink. He was already feeling the alcohol kick in a little given he was such a lightweight, the heat radiating out from his chest and helping to chase away the cold that still tugged at him from the walk there.

  
  
  


**Dally tells him a few stories from his time at the rodeo as they continue to drink. Once the rye and coke is done he goes for a gin n tonic, and keeps ordering different drinks until finally Johnny has to refuse because he's probably the most intoxicated he's ever been. The ashtray between them is full of butts between the two of them, Dally having stopped pestering the other boy about smoking too much, for now.** ****  
****  
**When Dallas is finally to a content level where he knows he should stop lest he black out or vomit everywhere, he pays the tab and stands up. He stretches his arms up high with a big ol grin on his face, enjoying spending this time with his friend. He'd never really drank with Johnny before, or Pony for that matter, but it was probably for the best that Johnny had his first time while in the company of one of his gang.** ****  
**  
** **"Awright awright, um, shit. How are we gonna get you back to the Curtis'?" He pauses and thinks it over before raising his eyebrows when he gets an idea. "Ah, you're probably just better off crashin' here. Wouldn't wanna tempt fate." By that he meant walking around drunk late at night. It would make them easy targets, plus Dallas had a bad temper. It was a miracle he hadn't yelled at anyone sitting around them the whole night. He'd just been too focused on telling stories and keeping Johnny's mood up.**

  
  
  


Johnny had a real smile on his face for once and was all giggly when he refused any more drinks, feeling far more than a little buzzed. He probably should have stopped sooner but he'd gotten carried away in Dally's stories and had just sort of kept drinking given just about everything g Dallas got them had something mixed in with the alcohol.    
  
When Dallas got up and stretched Johnny was still sitting; his dark eyes sweeping over the form of the older greaser and noticing the slight amount of skin shown at his midriff probably due to the shirt being too short when he stretched his arms up. His eyes didn't rest on him long At all though as he started to feel that slightly tight feeling in his chest again. He stood up himself and have a small stretch. At the question of how they would get him back to the Curtis household he gives an 'I don't know' sound with a little shrug of his shoulders. His gaze stays on Dally's face as he thinks and then offers to just have Johnny spend the night there. "Mmkay." Dallas really did have a point but that wasn't really much in Johnny's mind. He was just thinking of an easier place to curl up plus Buck's seemed to be warmer than the Curtis house.

  
  
  


**Dally places an arm around Johnny's shoulder and turns to head to where the stairs to his room is, but the waitress stops them. "You boys had a wild night, you should probably take this with you. It'll help with the morning." She's mostly looking at Johnny, who is obviously plastered and very new to the whole scene. Dally just shrugs and takes the jug in his free hand, nodding thanks to her.** ****  
****  
**It's not a long way to the rooms, but the flight of stairs is outside. It's a nice night out with no wind so the chill isn't nearly as bad as it could be. He walks along the balcony and checks twice to make sure the number on the door is his, having already once walked into the wrong room. He finally lets go of Johnny and passes him the jug. "Here, ya might as well start on it now. 'S just water." He digs for his keys and pulls them out, then squints at the doorknob to try to concentrate.** ****  
****  
**Thankfully he's not stumbling around too much that he can't fit a key into a lock, so soon enough they're inside. It definitely is much warmer than the Curtis house; being above the bar, all the heat from the warm bodies rose. It was warm enough that if he wanted to Johnny could probably take his jean jacket off. The space is even more cramped than before with the couch he'd bought awkwardly shoved in there on its side beside the door, at the foot of the bed. It was long enough that it couldn't be placed properly in the room because the walls were too close together.** ****  
**  
** **"Oh, yeah, it's a tight fit haha." He rubs the back of his head in mild embarrassment before kicking off his boots and taking a seat on his bed, a single mattress on the floor.**

  
  
  


Johnny has some trouble trying to walk right without stumbling about so when Dallas puts his arm around his shoulder he goes ahead and leans into him some. The stairs were a little tricky with both being drunk and his knee being a little stiff from sitting around for so long but they make it up without any real problems. As he waits for the door to be opened Johnny gazes out and looks over the street with the jug of water in hand, his eyes sparkling with the shine of the stars and a small lopsided smile upon his lips.    
  
As soon as he walks through the door he's hit with a wave of heat and he rather quickly starts to get a little too hot; taking off the jean jacket and tossing it onto the arm of the couch, thinking he's use it as a makeshift pillow later. Opening up the jug of water he takes a couple drinks before closing it and setting it down on the floor. "I like it. Nice n cozy I think." He doesn't slur his words but he's more willing to talk in general and just doesn't pay quiet as much attention to actually pronouncing things correctly. Stretching a little Johnny lifts up his arms as he gives a little bit of a yawn. It had been a long day with a lot more interactions with strangers than he was used to and with the nice and calming feeling of the alcohol in his system sleeping for a bit sounded like a nice idea. As he treached his shirt came up some and showed off his skinny stomach. He didn't have anything to him but he at least didn't look overly malnourished since the gang normally tried to get him food. Afterwards he took a seat on the couch and gave Dally a genuinely happy smile.

  
  
  


**"Too cozy sometimes even in the deada winter. Too loud too, all them hooligans always getting into trouble." He lets out a tittering laugh at that, amused at his silly joke. As if he'd never started or participated in a fight here before. He takes the jug too after a bit and takes a swig, letting out a satisfied 'aaa' afterwards. He lights a cig and moves back to lean against the wall. "Come n sit here, you're not s'posed to be on that couch 'til it's in its proper place."** ****  
**  
** **With that he pulls his hair back out of his face and smiles at his young friend. "How ya feelin'? Howzzat for you? ‘N how'd you get Roxanne to warm up to you? Usually she's a cow about things but she was real nice to you. You gotta real charm with the ladies." He nudges him a bit n smiles, teasing, always teasing. After a few more drags he hands the cig to Johnny, figuring both of them were low so they may as well share.**

  
  
  


With a shake of his head Johnny chuckles at Dally's little joke knowing full well that he would take part in all the trouble if not start it. Then when he was told to get off the couch and come sit on the bed it took him a few seconds to actually move. Once seated he spoke. "Kay but I..I sleep on the couch." He gestured lazily to it. "'Cuz this," he pokes the empty space on the mattress between the two of them, "it's yours," this time he lightly pokes Dally's chest, "an 'm all good on a couch." He gives a nod of his head and grabs the jug to take another drink of water.   
  
"M feelin' pretty.." He thinks for a couple seconds, really taking in how he feels before continuing, "Pretty good actually." Johnny gives a slightly surprised but happy smile at this fact. "I was all worried i'd be all mad n stuff but 'm actually real happy feelin'" He gives a nod at the comment about having a charm with girls. "Itz cuz 'm all cute and vulnerable lookin' I think. Makes 'em wanna take care of me? Mortherly instinct or whatever it iz.." Once finished talking he happily took the cig from the other and took a drag from it, watching the smoke rise as he breathed out.

  
  
  


**He shakes his head in amusement and amazement as Johnny rambles on, a big grin on his face at the kids carefree words. It was nice to have Johnny actually talk, say more than a few words at a time and even to go so far as to elaborate on something about girls. It was great seeing him like this, though for a moment Dally wonders why Johnny thought he would get mad. Then he remembers how many times he's been angry and drinking and sort of understands. To Dally the smaller boy just didn't seem capable of those darker, more aggressive type of feelings.** ****  
****  
**He knew that as long as Johnny lived he would act and think with fear in mind. He wasn't no coward, that was for sure, but he'd been beaten down too much to really get that hateful spark. He was just full of love and care and all he needed was to express it, and feel it, with people he trusted. "Well shit, s'pose that makes sense." He blinks then puts his arm back around Johnny's shoulders, closing the gap between them somewhat. "But then I guess I must have an inner mama 'cause I get that stuff. The wanting to take care of you. It's 'cause nobody else is gunna so ya kinda need it."** ****  
**  
** **With his free arm he moves the ashtray, which he'd nearly spilled with their movement. "When's the last time you even got to sleep on a bed? When you were six? Get outta here with that petty trash, if I wanna give you my bed to sleep in you better do it. Don't be a jerk." Of course, it's all in a playful tone as he had no real reason to be mad with Johnny. "Dunno if ya know this, but you're allowed to indulge yourself sometimes.”**

  
  
  


"You're gonna start losin' your rep saying stuff like that." He gave a quiet chuckle, talking about Dallas having some sort of inner mother. He was joking for course because he would never repeat what the other said and that is the only way it could even get out to others. When pulled a little closer by the older boy putting his arm around his shoulder again he felt his heart skip a beat but had no idea why. His heartbeat seemed to pick up too and he felt just the slightest bit of extra heat rise to his face.   
  
Trying to push away this feeling since he genuinely didn't know what to do with it he spoke. "Naw it was sooner than that. It was...uh.... Okay so I can't remember but that doesn't mean nothin'!.... Look I don't wanna take your bed from ya Dal.... 'M used to sleepin' on couches an all so really ya should sleep on the bed." He would feel downright shitty if Dallas gave up his bed just for him. He didn't need a bed and was used to sleeping on couches or even old benches from cars like he had in the lot. The thought of possibly sharing the bed didn't even pass through his mind given it was such a tiny thing and the only one he'd ever really slept next to was Pony and that tended to be when they were out in the lot.

  
  
  


**"Yeah yeah, let's just keep this stuff between you n me." It was obvious that was what they were both going to do and for some reason that relaxed him a bit. Whatever this odd over caring thing was, this attachment, maybe Johnny felt it too. Maybe they were secretly the best of friends or maybe blood brothers. Whatever it was he was just happy to have Johnny around. Feeling his warm skin, smelling the faint scent of old dirt, sweat, and smoke that Johnny's clothes tended to carry, it was nice.** ****  
**  
** **Without it he knew he'd be in the polar opposite condition right now. He rolls his eyes and heaves a big, exasperated sigh at Johnny's pushing. Dally gives his shoulder a little squeeze and tries to sound serious. "I getta crash on this thing whenever I want, and I ain't never shared it with nobody for more than a brief period a time." By that, he means girls, but he'd never let one stay the night with him, preferring his solitude and space. "You dunno how great it is just to have you be here, y'know? So just cut the crap n shaddap about it."**

  
  
  


Biting his lip Johnny looked down at his lap in thought. It took his a few seconds to think some stuff through before he looked back over to Dallas. "Fine.. But you sleep on the bed too an if I think it gets to cramped imma move to the couch. I refuse ta just take the bed 'cuz i learned from the best on how to be a stubborn prick."Meaning just about the entirety of the gang. All of them had things that they wouldn't budge on and now without all that anxiety and fear nagging at him Johnny was able to be more stubborn about what he thought as well.   
  
Thinking over what the other said it took a little bit for it to really sink in but when it hit his face grew slightly red. "It's..." He looked at the other in the eyes with a look of confusion and hope. "It's great ta have me around..? I always thought I was just sort of a nuisance or somethin' an you guys were just bein' all nice and shit cuz no one else would ever be." Johnny had always thought very little of himself and though having saved those kids gave him a bit of a boost in self esteem it didn't do enough to fight back a lot of the negative things he thought about himself. Sure a lot of it originated from his father's mouth but when ya hear something enough you start to think it's true.

  
  
  


**Dally just rolls his eyes again but nods, agreeing to the deal. He usually slept like a rock so he didn't care about sharing, but he might be a little pissed if he woke up to find he'd kicked the kid out in his sleep. He'd never really liked the idea of sharing a bed with anyone before but by Johnny's logic he'd been suckered into it.** ****  
**  
** **"Well, a course it is. You're a cool cat." He tries not to frown at him, thinking about how sad and frustrating it was that Johnny thought so little of himself. "We all like having you around, you're the glue that keeps us together. You're like a little brother to me, or something. Never really worried about someone else's future so much before. You're tuff kid, more tuff than you can give yourself credit for. N brave too." He moves his hand off Johnny's shoulder in favor of hanging his arm around his neck, trying his best not to make either of them too uncomfortable.**

  
  
  


There was small smile upon his face now but there was still a hit of sadness in his dark eyes; having trouble believing someone like him could really have any sort of effect on anyone other than when he messed up. "Thanks Dal... Really means alot comin' from you." Dally was the toughest guy and he'd always looked up to him in a way. He was always brave and dealt with things head on, never taking shit from anyone and speaking his mind whenever he wanted. Johnny wished he could be more like him sometimes.   
  
Johnny gave a yawn again as exhaustion started to tug on him. The sound of the loud music had faded into plain background noise and the warmth of the room and the man next to him helped him relax. He felt safe here so close to Dallas, even when they were having a bit of a disagreement on how much Johnny actually mattered. With the others arm now around his neck he ended up being a little closer to him and was even leaning onto the older greaser a little bit. "Itz been a long day.." It would normally be really weird in his own mind just going from rather energetic to practically falling asleep but he wasn't really thinking much right now. Maybe the sudden jump of energy was just his body reacting to the alcohol in his system. Johnny didn't know and really didn't care. He just really wanted some rest right now.

  
  
  


**"It sure has." Long, but good in his books. He is also rather tired, but still a bit more awake than Johnny. He leans forward a bit to move the ashtray off the bed, thinking to adjust, but decides against it. Instead he puts his other arm around Johnny and envelops him in a big, warm hug. He'd never really hugged someone before, not full on or with real feeling, and it felt good. Because he was so small he kind of felt like a girl, so Dally didn't feel so weird about the physical contact.** ****  
**  
** **What he cared about was trying to convince Johnny he mattered. It was frustrating because he knew damn well it would take a lot of proof for Johnny to stop doubting himself and Dally wasn't quite sure of what all to do about it. "You're a good kid, a good man, you got a right to be happy y'know." He squeezes a little before breaking the embrace to grab the jug of water again. "Here, have a lil more, then we can hit the hay."**

  
  
  


At first he thought that Dallas was moving away but it seemed like he changed his mind at the last moment and pulled him into a proper hug. He was surprised at first and truthfully tensed up a little but quickly relaxed into the strong and safe feeling of being hugged. It was odd to be getting hugged by Dallas Winston of all people but Johnny couldn't say it was bad in the slightest. He was actually really happy in the warm embrace of the other and it made his chest tighten again. He just passed it of given it was such a rare thing to get a hug and he would probably feel like this if he got a hug from anyone.   
  
Johnny would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little sad when Dallas pulled away but he didn't say anything aloud. He simply gave a little bit of a nod and took the jug of water; taking a few gulps before setting it back down. He wanted to go ahead and lay down but he wasn't sure if it was actually okay to since Dallas hadn't. He was still a little iffy on actually sleeping on the bed but as long as Dallas wasn't getting kicked from it he guessed it was okay. Hell even if it wasn't cramped he very well might still move to the couch since he would start feeling a little bad that Dally was having to give up even part of his bed for him.

  
  
  


**Dally removes his shirt and tosses it aside before letting out a yawn. He adjusts his pillow to the middle, trying to share that as well. He had a blanket but with the room temperature as it was, they wouldn't need it. He jostles Johnny out of the way gently with his foot before laying down closer to the wall, letting Johnny have the outside in case he needed to get up in the night or got too uncomfortable and had to move.** ****  
**  
** **"Okay, I ain't never tried to share a pillow before, but by golly we are gunna make this work and don't you even /start/ with me Johnny Cade. My mind has been made." He didn't wanna fight with the kid over this, now rather tired himself. So he just puts his arm around Johnny's shoulder and pulls him down. In order for both of them to fit 'comfortably' they basically have to spoon, though he doesn't get too close in case it's too weird. Honestly, he feels nice being this close to Johnny, and knowing exactly where he was sleeping was a comforting thought.**

  
  
  


With being  nudged a little by the other he moved without any fuss; giving Dallas a chance to settle in first before even starting to live to lay down himself. Now Johnny was going to protest about the pillow, fine with just using his jacket, but he bit his tongue as Dallas told him not to start. He put up a hit of reluctance as Dally started to pull him down but quickly just sort of gave in and settled into his spot; rubbing his eyes a tiny bit and giving a small yawn once laid down.    
  
It took less than five minutes for Johnny to fall asleep as he found it much easier to with the presence of the other and the warmth of the room. Johnny thought about taking off his own shirt a little bit before falling asleep given it was so warm but decinded against it. Partly because he really didn't want to have to move and for the fact that he had many scars and fresh wounds littering his torso. Each one has a story that he knew by memory, every hit and kick etched forever into his damaged mind.    
  
Johnny had never been much of one to lay still while sleeping as he tended to be plagued by nightmares and tossed and turned a decent amount. It was the same tonight; however, his dreams weren't quite as bad as normal so he simply turned over with a mostly neutral expression. Nuzzling up to the warmth radiating off of Dallas as it was just his instinct from living out in the cold for over half his life.

  
  
  


**It doesn't take long for him to drift off into a dreamless slumber with only the faintest of snores. Later in the night when Johnny shuffles around and turns over, it wakes him up a bit and at first he forgets it's Johnny. He wonders why he let anyone in his bed, but after touching his hair and cheek he realizes who it is and settles back down with a content sigh.**

  
  


Johnny slept better than he had in years that night but the morning was a whole other thing.  


	3. Day 3

**They sleep in later than either of them normally slept, but he didn't have places to be until later anyway. When he comes too he is groggy and a bit heavy-headed, but he doesn't feel nearly as bad as he could have considering how much he mixed his alcohols. He lets out a big yawn and stretches one arm, which had been gently resting on Johnny's back. Then he stops moving, unsure of what to do; he didn't wanna wake the kid up from such a nice looking sleep, but he wanted to get up and piss, drink some water, and have a cigarette. So for now he just lays there with his arm still around the kid, just listening to him breathe.**

  
  
  


Dally shifting around was enough to pull him from his sleep and he was immediately assaulted with a throbbing in his head and a queasy feeling in his stomach. With a groan he woke up a little more and noticed that there was the feeling of someone's arm on him. In a panic his eyes shot open and he jumped backwards and onto the floor. If that wasn't one of the worst things he had done he didn't know what else would be because as soon as his eyes opened the light in the room made his head hurt about ten times worse and the sudden movement made him almost throw up on the spot. In the short amount of time that his eyes had been open to take in where he was and who he was with he recognized the general body shape and messy almost white blonde hair.    
  
He stayed curled up in the floor with his eyes held shut and a hand over them to try and block out as much light; however, he did speak. "Dallas?... God what happened. A-an why was I layin' with ya?..." His voice was hoarse and caught in his throat slightly. He remembered starting to drink with Dally but when they had the Gin and Tonic is when things grew blurry real fast. He felt like something just have gone real sideways last night because He would have never agreed to actually sleep in Dally's bed under normal circumstances unless Dallas himself wasn't going to be sleeping then too. He just didn't want to make the other uncomfortable by taking his bed.    
  
His stomach churned but he refused to move since be felt it would only make things worse as the aches in his body suddenly became very apparent. "I feel horrid..." His voice was very quiet this time and he curled in on himself a bit more. "Never again..." Somehow the kid was still managing to talk though the assault of pain and nausea.

  
  
  


**He's quite startled by Johnny's sudden movements, and just a little queasy at it himself if only for a moment. Though they had drank a lot he was capable of pounding back much more. So though he has the hint of a headache and his stomach doesn't feel too great he's definitely feeling better than the other. Even though he pities the kid he can't help but laugh a little at the ridiculousness of it all. At the questions he becomes a little embarrassed but quickly shoves the feeling aside.** **  
** **  
** **"I got you loaded and convinced you to sleep on the bed, but you wouldn't do it unless I was there too. I guess you didn't wanna be rude." He shrugs and reaches for the jug of water, taking a big gulp. "You probably gotta real wicked hangover kid, mixing that many kinds of alcohol is usually a bad idea. I didn't really mean to make you drink so much we just kinda got carried away."** **  
** **  
** **He moves over to Johnny and rubs his back a little, very gently because he knows Johnny's stomach is probably feeling pretty awful. "Guess I shoulda tried harder, sorry kid. I got some aspirin if you want some. Try n drink as much water as you can, and if you gotta puke just do it off the balcony." As gross as that was, Dally didn't care. He'd prefer outside than in the room where the smell would quickly become unbearable. He didn't even have his own bathroom or kitchen. "You'll be okay eventually. If you can go back to sleep for a bit, that might help too.”**

  
  
  


At the sound of Dallas laughing at his unfortunate predicament Johnny really felt like flipping him the bird but opted to stay curled up instead. At why they were sleeping together he didn't really react much but thought that sounded like him. Guess he was a little less stubborn when all boozed up.   
  
When given suggestions for what to do to maybe help him feel a bit better he decided to focus on the water and sleeping bit of it all. His stomach would have no food in it at this point and with his stomach already feeling so bad it would be best to not add medicine on top of it right now. So with his mind made up he uncurled and sat up, squinting around the room a little until he saw the huh and grabbed it. It wasn't easy to force a couple sips of water down but it at least didn't really seem to match his stomach any more uneasy. Next Johnny moved himself back into the bed and curled back up. "Mm just gonna stay here for a while... Hope that's okay.." Once he felt like he could function again Johnny would leave but for now the kid just wanted to try and sleep this pain away.

  
  
  


**He watches the kid make his mind and when Johnny comes to the bed he moves over and sits on the floor, feeling a little bad for how rough of shape he was in. "Yeah, sleep here all you want. I'll leave the aspirin out in case you want some later." He sort of rolls over and reaches for the drawer on his tiny night stand, putting the bottle near the jug of water. "I'll let you sleep for a few hours and come check up on you in a bit, okay?"** **  
** **  
** **With that he stands up and digs around on the floor for t-shirt that doesn't stink too bad and pulls it on. He checks his pack of cigs and takes one, leaving the last three for Johnny, not sure if he had any left. It was unlikely he'd be smoking any time soon but he wanted to be kind anyway. He puts on his boots and ties the laces, then after a last glance, heads out to get some food.**

  
  
  


Sleep didn't come easy now and the first time he started to doze off a really bad wave of nausea hit him for force and he had to get up and scramble his way outside. Wanting to help keep back the sun he grabbed the first jacket he could get to, which ended up being Dally's, which he used to cover his head as he went down the stairs. Sure Dallas had said to just throw up off the balcony but Johnny didn't much like that idea and went to the ground to go throw up in a nearby bush. The acidic bile burned his throat and left a sour taste in his mouth but he sucked it up and headed back inside. At least some of the remaining alcohol that was in his system had been purged now. He took a mouthful of water and swished it around to help chase away the flavor before going ahead and just spitting it out over the balcony. That he was okay with just not throwing up.    
  
Once settled back into the room he forced down some more water and curled up; now with Dallas' jacket over his head for darkness and the blanket that had been discarded last night for warmth. It took about another hour before he started to doze off again. It was a light sleep but thankfully still enough to take away the pain and discomfort for at least a little while.

  
  
  


**He goes to a small grocery store and picks up a few things; some crackers, some apples, and a little bit of junk food as well as cigarettes. After that he gets himself another burger, glad for the food and glad even more so that he doesn't feel worse for it. He kills some time by visiting the Curtis house and joking with the guys, and he gives Pony some of the junk food as well as a cigarette before taking off, assuring the youngest member of their gang that Johnny was fine.** **  
** **  
** **Then he just walks around for a while and tries not to smoke too much as he keeps an eye out for anybody looking for trouble. From there, he ends up playing poker with a couple of guys down in the bar, though he doesn't drink anymore booze. Finally, sometime after 2, he goes to check on the kid with the bag of goods. In a few hours he would have to leave for work but he intended to let the kid sleep there all evening if he wanted to. He climbs up the stairs and hesitates before opening the door, wondering if he should knock. "You up?" He asks quietly as he peeks in.**

  
  
  


During the time that Johnny was left to his own devices in Dally's place he got up a few time to use the bathroom or go throw up again. Each time he would return to the room and curl up to try and get another little nap in before his body rebled and sent him out of the room again. Around one he felt he could eat something small and easy to handle so he headed down to the bar area again now wearing Dallas' jacket given it's what he already had on him. He managed to hunt down some crackers and he refilled the water job which he had drank the bulk of. The food really helped him start to pull things around so by the time that Dallas made it back at 2 he was actually starting to feel a little human again.    
  
He of course was still curled up in the bed but the light didn't hurt near and much anymore and sound was actually bearable. "Mhmm." Sitting up a little he looked over at the doorway and the man who stood in it.

  
  
  


**With confirmation that he wasn't going to wake him up Dallas steps inside and kicks off his shoes, sitting cross legged on the floor near the bed. He puts the bag down beside him and takes a good, long look at Johnny to see how he was doing. "Hey, you survived your first hangover. Congrats. Next time we do anything like that, I promise to cut you some slack." He takes out a cigarette and lights it, then offers the bag to Johnny. "Not really sure if you're hungry but I brought you some things." He offers a big smile, obviously in good spirits despite the minor headache he has himself. "So, I gotta go to work in three or so hours, but you're more than welcome to stay here another night. I don't usually get home til six a.m. so."**

  
  
  


"Yeah I think I'd rather not drink that much again for a good long while." Since he didn't seem to react the same way his father did to alcohol he would be willing to go drinking with the gang here and there but it's not something he would get reliant to or turn to frequently.   
  
"Thanks Dal." Grabbing the bag he opens it up and pulls out the crackers. He probably have an apple or something later just to have some real flavor but right now it was still best to go easy on his stomach. "Yeah I think I'll stay here until the partying starts up. I'll probably head out then..." With Dallas not there he really didn't have a reason to stay once things started ramping up and it got real loud.

  
  
  


**Dallas frowns at that. "I don't really like the idea of you walkin' around alone, y'know? I could walk you home after work, if you can wait that long. The music kinda vibrates the walls but usually you can't hear too much else from up here, unless some jackasses go outside for some fresh air." He didn't want to have to get up in Johnny's grills over this. Even though he might end up leaving at or before sunset, Dally was still worried. For the most part they had been left alone for the past while by the socs, but he didn't want anyone getting any ideas.** **  
** **  
** **He also didn't want to embarrass Johnny by pointing out that he wasn't exactly in top condition. He was a runt for sure, and had always been a target because of that. Dally couldn't trust fate or luck to take care of the kid; he had to do it himself. Nobody else would, not beyond what the gang offered him. "Just wait for me, okay? It'll make me feel better. Consider it a favor to your ol' pal."**

  
  
  


Johnny rubbed the back of his neck and sort of looked away. "I don't know Dall..." With a sigh he looks back to Dallas, his dark eyes meeting with the others cold yet somehow caring eyes. "I'll wait for a while but if things get too loud for me I'm just gonna head to the lot." Last night and the bulk of today had gotten him pretty fed up with loud things and he would much rather be a little cold and have it be quiet and peaceful.

 

He turned his attention back to the crackers he held in his hands. He knew Dallas wasn't going to be to terribly happy about his answer but it's not like he wasn't able to stand up for himself at all if things when sideways when he was out and walking around. Sure he's small but he always held his own in rumbles and he could still maneuver well enough, even with a bum leg.

  
  
  


**Normally this would be the part in the conversation where, because he was a little upset and worried about the kid, he would take on his calm rage face. That deadly look that not a lot of people survived seeing without getting a beating. But right now, his face is more akin to a pout than a snarl or disdain. He is quiet for a bit, making sure to keep himself calm to avoid saying something hurtful or yelling. "Just try an' stay here, fall asleep after I leave, okay?" He seems a bit grumbly but doesn't say much more on the matter.**

  
  
  


All Johnny did in reply was give a nod. He'd slept an awful lot today and even if he tried to get some more sleep he didn't know if he'd be able to doze off again.

  
  
  
  


**Their slightly uncomfortable silence is broken by the sound of knuckles on the door, and Dallas promptly jumps up to answer it. It's one of the bartenders asking if he could help unload the truck full of the new shipment of booze. With a sigh, he agrees, and she squeals before hugging him and pecking him on the cheek. As he turns to his boots she walks away and he slips them on, groaning and stretching. Nothing like doing work for free before you had to go to work. "I'll be back in a bit, I guess."**

  
  
  


At the sound of someone knocking on the door Johnny looks up but doesn't move. This isn't his home so there was no reason for him to. Rather quickly becoming uninterested with the woman whom he guessed was a bartender he looked away but his gaze went right back at the high pitched squealing that hurt his head. He didn't know why but at the sight of some random chick hugging and giving Dallas a peck upon the cheek made his chest tighten. An uneasy and truthfully aggravated feeling bubbling up in him at he sight of it made him want to jump up and , push her away? He didn't know but god he didn't like seeing it. Trying His best to push the feeling aside Johnny bit the inside of his cheek and looked away from them. A very faint look of almost disdain rested upon his face. "Kay.."

  
  
  
  
  


**He's only gone about 30 minutes and he returns with two sandwiches, just some pb &j. "That woman made these for us, I dunno why she thought you deserved one, you didn't even help!" It's obvious by his tone of voice that Dally is just trying to make a joke. He sits down again and counts the minutes he has left before he has to walk to work. He sets the plate between them and takes one of the sandwiches, taking a huge bite.**

  
  
  
  
  
  


When Dally made it back Johnny was laying down with his back to the door. He hadn't been sleeping, simply laying there and trying to figure out why he kept getting this feeling in his chest. Maybe his anxiety was just acting up again? It wouldn't be the first time, especially since the incident, but there really isn't anything to be causing it. Nothing has been threatening him and he hasn't really been put into any stressful situations. He wanted to grab in aggravation but Dallas was back so he just gave a quiet sigh and sat up. At the older boys little joke he gave a smile. He knew that tone well enough; although, it was normally one he would hear from Two-Bit or Soda. "Cuz I'm all small and vulnerable lookin', remember?" With a little smirk he pick up the other sandwich and took a bite. Johnny had been to caught up in his own head to remember to eat anything else while Dallas was out so he might as well eat this. Hell maybe it'll help him settle some.

  
  
  


**"Yeah, you're a real heart throb alright. You gotta be careful with them dames though, cats be pretty crafty." Almost every girl he'd ever remotely spent time with had been a rough and tough street girl, so he was used to catty remarks and jealousy and petty things like "why didn't you call me back!" Dallas would have thought that anyone within a 10 mile radius would have known that he wasn't the type to be in a relationship. Ladies were fun and nice to look at and sometimes said some great things, but overall he never really saw himself getting serious with anyone. It was just too much of a hassle** .

  
  
  


"No kiddin' I still remember that time Sylvia was trying ta flirt with me or whatever." That was an awkward experience and for Damn  _ everyone  _ from the gang got mad at her. Johnny thought she was just doing it because she could and to maybe try to make Dallas jealous, but he never asked her. Hednt even really seen her around much either. Since her and Dally had finished their string of flings she hadn't really been hanging around their turf much.

 

Just chatting and making jokes was a nice way to pass the time before Dallas had to leave. It also helped to keep John's mind from going back to wandering. It was never a very good thing to let one's mind wander as it could go into some really dark places far to easily. "Sure Dal. I'll see ya around."

 

Johnny stayed there and just relaxed for a couple hours before the music started to kick up for the evening. He didn't really want to take the food that Dallas had bought but he did, at least some of it. He kept the apples, a little bit of the junk food, and one carton of cigarettes. The rest he placed away in the cabinets and stuff where Dallas had his other food. 

 

He sort of wished he had a backpack to shove everything into but he's just work with what he had at hand. Rolling the top of the paper bag a bit to make it easier to carry Johnny picked up the half empty jug of water and headed out. It was a pretty long walk away but He was going to head for the lot so he'd at least have the ripped out car seat to sit on and have a nice place to set up a fire if to got that cold.

  
  
  
  


**The night is long and seems to go by slowly. He is a little bit less than efficient at his job, mind on other matters and sometimes wandering too deep. He was starting to realize what that weird feeling he got around Johnny was, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. There was no way in hell he could be in love with Johnny Cade and get away with it. Aside from the obvious bit where they were both dudes (he'd never even thought about homosexuality before, not beyond calling some of the socs 'fairies'), he could only imagine everyone in his life shunning him for such a thing. Though he knew the gang cared about him, he wasn't sure he'd be able to accept such a thing in anyone else.**

 

**He tries his very best not to obsess over it but by the time he's walking back to his place, both hoping and dreading that Johnny was there, it's all he can think about. He can even imagine kissing Johnny and wonders how the kid would feel about it, probably not that great since neither of them were an attractive lady. Finding his room empty, he frowns at the tug in his chest and considers just walking straight to the lot to get him. But with all these weird feelings and thoughts happening, he's not sure if he's ready to see the other again. So he tries to sleep, and after a few hours, he does.**

  
  
  
Johnny had almost made it to the lot when the screeching of tires filled the air and he came to a halt as a mustang blocked his path. His eyes narrowed and anxiety tugged at his chest but he still set his stuff down and prepared for a fight. 4 verses 1 really wasn't fair but at least they weren't to terribly big. 


	4. Day 4

**Dallas doesn't end up getting up until 5pm. At least he has today off, otherwise he'd be in a rush to get back at it. With a heavy feeling in his chest he goes to sit at the bar for a bit to dull the weirdness inside of him, He feels like it's wrong to have those kind of feelings for Johnny, not fair to either of them. A few hours later and only a little bit tipsy he heads over to the Curtis household to see what everyone's up to, and to check on Johnny if he was there. At least with the gang around he could ignore the awkwardness and just shoot the shit.**

  
  
  


He awoke with a headache and his body hurting all over. With a groan he pushed himself up to his feet and looked around a little through one eye, the other having swollen a little and turned into a nice shiner. The assholes at least didn't take his stuff so once pulling himself together enough he grabbed up his stuff and walked the rest of the way to the lot. Once there he happily laid down upon the ripped our car seat and promptly passed out. He didn't wake up again until around four in the afternoon when Ponyboy showed up looking for him. Johnny wouldn't give names or descriptions of those who had jumped him as Pony took him back to the house and for him settled down in his and Soda's room. It was a rare thing for them to do that but Johnny looked like shit and Pony could tell he really didn't want to be bugged anymore.

 

Johnny was actually sort of proud of himself though. He'd managed to take down one of them and get a few hit in in another before he got overpowered and pummeled into the ground. By the time Dallas arrived Pony was in the kitchen cooking up some food with Soda and Two-Bit relaxed on the couch watching some tv. The door to Pony and Soda's room was still closed as Johnny rested inside.

  
  
  


**When he arrives Darry takes him outside to talk with him first, worried that Dally might explode and run off right away regardless of whether or not he knew who to go after. The rest of the gang sits in the kitchen awkwardly trying not to listen in, all of them harboring similar worries. It wasn't uncommon for Dallas to go on the war path for lesser things than this, but once he saw Johnny nobody could be sure what would happen. He didn't deal with these things well, none of them were really fond of seeing Johnny so beaten, but he and Pony always seemed to have the strongest feelings about it. Probably because they cared just a little more than the rest.**

 

**After a few cigarettes and a beer, he goes inside and waves to the others only briefly, making his way to Pony and Soda's room to check on the kid. He knocks lightly and steps inside before waiting for a response, glad that the light is off, and shuts it behind him. He takes a seat on the floor near the bed Johnny is in, quiet as can be just in case he's actually asleep. He leans back against the wall and sips at the beer Darry had given him. Eventually he hears Johnny rustle around and his guts clench, doing a total 360. He wishes suddenly that he hadn't come in here and that it wasn't so dark. After swallowing a huge lump down, he clears his throat.**

 

**"Heard you got into a fight?" He tries to avoid sounding like he's gonna say 'told ya so'. He's too bummed out and angry to joke around. "Hope the other guy looks just as bad... I kinda figured this would happen. Did you?" It was one thing to stray into the night for a reason and another to go out into the night knowing the chance of being jumped was high.**

  
  
  


Johnny had been in a very light sleep when Dally came in and it didn't take long for him to wake up and shift. He wished he could say that he didn't jump she he heard a voice, but he be lying. At least he was able to settle pretty quickly as he recognized it as Dally. Despite himself and him trying to will it to slow down he felt his heart beat fast and steady within his chest. This was due to a little voice in his head repeating 'you're alone in a dark room with Dallas and it's very unlikely that any of the rest of the gang would come in.'

 

"At least of of 'em does and another's a little worse for wear..." At the question he just sort of shrugs. "I thought it was a possibility but it always is. Day, night, alone, with the gang. There is always that lingering chance..." He gives a sigh. "I just needed a walk really... I don't care too much about getting beat up again cuz hell my dad's done worse than this at times....." He's quiet for a few seconds and a rustling can be heard as he sits up and it's easy to guess he's leaning back against the wall. "It's just there's been so much I-" Johnny cuts himself off and shakes his head. "Nevermind. I'm sure ya don't want ta hear none of it." Plus he didn't trust himself to not skip up and accidently say that all this thinking he's been doing was about how he felt for Dallas. He wasn't really sure what it was but going in a limb he guessed it could probably be considered love. He'd never really loved anyone more than just family and that how he thought it was with Dallas too for a good long while... But recently his heart and head just keep getting so dang jumbled up when he thinks about or sees Dally that maybe it's more..

  
  
  


**He listens aptly and grits his teeth a bit at the reminder. No matter where Johnny went there always seemed to be someone out to get him, more so than any other member of their gang, even him. Dallas caused all kind of shit for all kinds of people and still he was less a target. Probably because he was good at breaking bones and drawing blood. "Course I wanna hear it!" He tentatively reaches out gently until he feels Johnny's shoulder, then he tenderly ruffles his hair a bit. "Don't you go assumin' things about me." He wrinkles his nose and sips the beer again, finishing the last little bit off and putting it between his legs. Dally lights up a cigarette, glancing at Johnny briefly during the flicker of the flame, watching him wince away from the sudden light.**

 

**"You want one?" He was trying hard to keep his cool, to stay focused on the now and not what had happened or could happen. Then he thinks of something and it pisses him off all over again. "They didn't take the stuff I gave you, did they?!" Not that he really cared about objects, but he'd bought those things specifically for the kid, not for anyone to just up and nab. He puffs on the cigarette and momentarily zones out as he fantasizes about the revenge he's gonna get. He has an idea of who to start with and doesn't care if he has to fight every soc in the whole damn city; he would get his revenge. Then, he pauses and wonders at himself. Wasn't it Johnny's revenge? Why was he so selfish? He huffs at himself and shifts awkwardly.**

  
  
  


"Yeah.." He hadn't smoked at all today and it was putting him even more on edge so the cigarette was welcomed. He lot it and took a long drag before continuing to talk. "Naw. It looked like they dug through it but I guess it didn't really interest them." He was scared to talk again. He knew he could be so stupid at times and say shit he really shouldn't but if he just stayed quiet Dallas was likely to push for him to talk and then he'd be even more likely to say the wrong thing. 

 

Taking another long drag he pulled himself together, focusing on the slight glow of the cigarette as he inhaled and the smoke the slowly rose. "I've just been thinkin' a lot lately and it's got me jumbled somethin' awful... I've been having this feeling when around-" he bit his lip for a second to keep himself from saying who cuz God if Dallas found out he was pining for him he didn't know if he'd ever want to talk to him again. Hell he might even ridicule him for it and if everyone found out he'd be doomed. Every greaser and socs around would be out for his hide for being a fag. "This..person and it's just such a new thing for me, ya know? Never really fell for anyone until now and... I don't know man... I just don't know what ta do cuz if I ever said anything things could really go to shit..."

  
  
  


**His chest burns at the thought of soc assholes digging through the bag. Somehow it was even worse that they'd just left it, not that he wanted it to be taken. He calms down only briefly as he listens to Johnny and hangs on every word, eyes wide in the cover of darkness. Johnny liked someone? His guts clench and for a moment he feels like he might puke. Part of him hopes that it's him who Johnny likes, part of him is crushed knowing it has to be someone else. It just had to be. But who could he have been around? He goes over the list of girls they'd seen in the past week, trying to figure out if any of them were the one in question.**

 

**Dallas takes a long drag of his cigarette too, a little lost for words and uncomfortable with his feelings. Usually the only things he was ever jealous about were cars so being jealous over a person he didn't even know caught him off guard. The silence stretches out and gets more and more awkward as the seconds tick by. He swallows again and takes another drag. "Johnny Cade finally caught the love bug, eh?" Is all he can muster at first, doing his best not to sound spiteful or strange. "You gotta have a little more confidence in yourself kid, you're better looking than you think. Any girl would scramble at the idea of getting with you, if you just gave ‘em a chance." He knows the right thing to do as a friend is to encourage this even if it sort of hurts.**

 

**"Unless she's a soc, then I guess I could see where your problem is." He heaves a small sigh and has the last drag, putting the butt in the can out of respect for the Curtis'. "Have I met her?" He had no idea if that was a weird thing to ask but he had the dying need to just know who it was, not that he could or would do anything about it. Johnny deserved to be happy and loved and all that fun shit that was supposed to come along with having a woman.**

  
  
  


And there It was 'any Girl.' He wanted to curl in on himself as he felt this ever growing anxiety building up as Dallas asked more questions. Always 'she' and 'her' but what else did he expect? Of course Dallas wouldn't even think of him ever falling for a guy, let alone him. But that was also just the way things were he guessed. A guy liking another guy was next to unheard of and was always frowned upon by literally everyone other than some of the hippies that were popping up. 

 

Johnny was quiet for a good long while as he tried to make up his mind; shifting restlessly and taking puffs from the cigarette until it was all but gone. "You uh...." He gave a real breathy laugh, surprised that he was actually saying this." Actually ya probably know 'em better than anyone else ever could cuz.... Well ya see...." He's quiet for a good handful of seconds as he builds up his courage. God he hated himself and this whole situation he's gotten tossed into because of his god damn heart. "It's uh... Actually you that I've... You know..." His voice quickly petered out and He was barely even whispering when he said it. He was so on edge, every muscle in his body tight as he was ready to jump up and run out in case things went sideways and Dallas actually came at him for it.

  
  
  


**Dally finds himself so caught off guard that at first he thinks he misheard. He's quiet for a long, uncomfortable amount of time, trying to process this information. It was extremely hard not to suddenly think this was all a really vivid dream, or maybe he was just drunk out of his mind and imagining things. His hands clench into fists of their own accord, hard enough to make a few of his knuckles crack, and he swallows again. It still takes him awhile to say anything because he's not sure what to say. He wants to say something nice back, maybe open up a little, but he can't quite bring himself to do it. His next impulse is to leave in a hurry, but where would he go? Likely back to the bar to drink his brains out. The only reason he doesn't jump up and do that is because he knows if he leaves Johnny now, he might really fuck things up.**

 

**Finally he croaks out, "Are you sure?" The sick tumbling feeling in his guts continues and his mouth is suddenly very, very dry. "I mean, am I hearing things?" He doesn't realize how hostile he sounds and instantly regrets not checking his tone. "I mean, shit, I'm strongly inclined to believe this is a dream..." He pinches the back of one of his hands just to be sure. "I... Shit, I dunno man. Are we even allowed to do that? Like each other?" His voice lowers a bit, suddenly well aware of the fact that there were three other boys sitting at the table. The radio was on but that offered little comfort. Would the guys kick them out of their gang if they knew?**

  
  
  


Johnny is terrified. He can hear his heart pounding in his ears but every little breath and sound that Dally made he heard clear. It took a lot of self co trip to not just get up and bolt, especially when he heard the others knuckles crack. Then when the elder greaser finally spoke up his heart sank. dallas sounded mad at him and he couldn't help but sink back some. Biting the inside of his cheek he forced himself to relax a little more as Dallas seemed to try to get his tone a little more controlled "I... I dunno." Dallas knew far more about all this stuff than he ever did. 

 

It hit him a couple of seconds late what Exactly Dally's reply actually meant. "Wait. Does that mean that you..?" His voice was hushed just as the others was but his was due to anxiety and uncertainty rather than worry that the rest of the gang may hear.

  
  
  


**Suddenly his heart is beating rather quickly too, and he's not sure what to say. He wants to let Johnny know he feels the same way, but he doesn't wanna be "like that". Plus, what if Johnny was just confused because Dally as like an older brother to him and it turned out this wasn't love or lust, just weird family bonding? His heart sinks at that thought and he panics as he tries to think of what to do. He licks his lips and takes a deep breath to try and steady his nerves.**

 

**"You mean a lot to me, Johnny. A real lot," is finally what he comes up with. It's true either way and seems like a safe cop out. His brain tries to imagine them on a date only to realize that they would never get to do anything like that, not in public. This brings him down too, and then he thinks of Johnny's parents and has to grit his teeth again. "Look, it's like this. I can't... I can't love you unless you let me protect you. Seeing you all bruised up causes me all kinds of stress. If your pa ain't careful he's gonna turn me into a murder." He fantasized about it quite often and in many ways, though his favorite always seemed to be beating the man with his bare hands and choking the life out of him.**

 

**He takes another deep breath, a bit overwhelmed by all this emotion and information. He thinks of the mustang, of the water fountain, of the night Pony and Johnny had come to him. He remembers a few years back when he'd first met Johnny and how much smaller he'd been then. Small and vulnerable. In a sudden burst of anger, he bursts out with, "Who did this to you? You gotta tell me right now." By this he means the bruises, not their weird liking of each other.**

  
  
  


Johnny stayed quiet; willing himself not to reply. He didn't tell anyone who beat him up and would never let them go front his dad because he was worried. If just one of them knew who it was then Dally would find out and he could end up killing someone in a fit of rage and for him it wouldn't be self defence. Hes got a record and the cops would jump at the chance to lock him up for a long time. He shifted so he was sitting crossed legged near the edge of them bed. If they were going to have this conversation he wanted to be able to look at Dallas. 

 

"No because I know if I did you'd go after them!" Johnny couldn't help but burst out too, his hands balled into fists and his eyes held tightly closed. "Because I know you'd go after then and you could get hurt! Don't try and protest because it's true, okay? You would go after them and yeah you're real tough but there was more than one of 'em and even if you managed to get out of the fight without taking any hits you know they always come back with a vengeance! They tell the cops or bring more men the next time! That's just how it works and I don't want to see that!" He opens his eyes and looks right at the shape in the darkness that was Dallas. "I don't want to see you get hurt or get locked away again... You.... You kill someone like I did and they ain't gonna let you walk and you know it." There was a lot of emotion behind his words but he managed to keep his voice down, not wanting to drag in the rest of the gang because he was yelling; a very rare thing for him to ever do.

  
  
  


**He does glance at the door a few times, but for the most part he figures they're being quiet enough. Plus it wasn't like the gang didn't know he was trying to get information out of Johnny... he just hoped they wouldn't know about the rest. His blood boils a little bit, partially at being told what was what, partially because he knew Johnny was right. There was no justice out there for greasers like them. Nobody ever stopped to think of the fact that maybe most of them were just trying to get by and live their lives. Though he hardly cared if he lived or died or went to jail, he did care about getting locked up for Johnny's sake.**

 

**Also being rather full of emotion, he sits there and pouts in the dark for a bit, biting his lip and trying his very best to keep calm. Losing his temper on Johnny wouldn't do either of them any good. "Fine. You're right and I'm wrong and life sucks 'til you die." The bitterness in his voice is almost tangible. He lights another cigarette angrily and tosses the pack into Johnny’s lap, not looking at him. He draws a knee up to his chest and rests an arm on it, smoking nearly the entire cigarette before he says anything else. "You just don't deserve it," He mumbles while shaking his head a bit. After butting out this cig, he does finally look back at the kid.**

 

**There is the slightest bit of light streaming in from the window, and now that he's been sitting there for awhile he can almost see details in Johnny's face. Everything inside of his body hurts and feels gross, like he could puke up his whole skeleton. He couldn't do anything right, not even admit his feelings properly. He felt like he may never be able to help Johnny and that made him hate himself even more. "I gotta go," He says suddenly and stands up, too full of nerves and feelings he needed to get rid of.**

  
  
  


Biting the inside of his cheek Johnny looked away from Dallas; nervously messing with the hem of his shirt. "Ya gotta understand that I worry too, ya know...? And I'm not tough like you so I can't just go out and fight someone.... I gotta try and protect ya the only way I know how and that's just by keeping my mouth shut..." With a very weak smile he looked to the other. "Plus it's not like I ain't used to a beatin'. Sure I'm a little on the small side but I can take a lot of hits before I go down. I ain't strong but I'm also not weak."

 

He gives a sigh and goes to stand up to leave. It seemed like Dallas needing some time to breath and really he needed to get out. So much was bubbling up and his chest was tight. He needed to step out before he said just the wrong thing to make the older boy mad. Unfortunately for him he had to go right past Dallas to be able to get to the door so if Dallas didn't want him leaving yet he would be stuck.

  
  
  


**He sighs too, a big, long heavy sigh. With both of them standing up now, he feels weird about trying to bail. He debates leaving with Johnny versus leaving without him, though he knows full well he doesn't want Johnny going for a walk alone again. He is fully aware the other can take a beating but he's not sure if his own self can take it. It was hard enough not to burst into Johnny's house and tear both his parents a new one on the daily, but the closer they got and the more he realized how he felt, and that somehow the feeling was mutual, the more he realized he just couldn't leave the kid up to his own devices. For both of their sakes the beatings had to stop.**

 

**"You wanna come back to my place," He blurts out, glad that the flush to his face can't be seen. He shoves his hands in his pockets, afraid of what he might do with them, if it would be okay. "I don't want you to be alone." It's the closest he can get to saying something nice and it bothers him a little, but at least it's not something rude. He picks up the pack of cigarettes and tucks them into the pocket of his vest. "I think we have a lot to talk about..." He swallows yet again, never having been this nervous or confused in his life. Tentatively, he reaches out and puts an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close for a hug. Dally is almost certain the other boy can feel the heat radiating off of his body; they both seem to be running hot so some cool, fresh air would be good for both of them.**

  
  
  


Johnny couldn't say he wasn't a little surprised when Dallas invited him back to his place. He was almost positive Dallas was gonna want time alone like he did with a lot of things that got him sort of riled up; however, he guessed this was new territory for him to give Johnny had only ever know him to have flings, never anything close to a real relationship. His body instinctively tensed up when he felt Dally's arm go around his shoulder but once realizing he was just pulling him into a hug he relaxed. A lot actually. It was oddly comforting and even though his heart jumped up to his throat it was nice. He couldn't help but return the hug and give a small nod. "Yeah.. Okay." The familiar scent of cigarettes and an underlying tone of booze hovered around him as he fit almost perfectly against Dallas, his head at a just the right height to be able to easily tuck underneath Dally's chin. 

 

Johnny was the one to pull away first, knowing they couldn't go out like that and knowing that his face had to be pretty fucking red at this point and he needed a quick little breather to try and get it under control so they could head out with little to no suspicion from the rest of the gang.

  
  
  


**Both of them stood in silence for a few moments to gather themselves, and then Dally opens the door. The gang immediately collectively looks over to the door, and Pony raises an eyebrow as Johnny follows him out. "We're going out," He tells them, and Darry asks almost instantly if it's for revenge. "Nah," He replied as casually as he can muster, "Some burgers and booze. Poor kid's hardly got any meat on him, I figure the only way to help him out is to get him fat so the punches will hurt less." Of course it's a joke, to some degree, but that seems to put everyone at ease. As they leave, though, he can feel Ponyboy's uncertain gaze upon them and it makes him nervous.**

 

**Of all the gang Ponyboy might understand and might be okay with whatever was happening between the two of them, but he couldn't imagine Two-Bit or Darry or even Soda thinking it was okay. The church was pretty clear about hating homosexuals; for some reason that thought makes him smirk. They were really gonna stick it to the man, maybe. He still wasn't sure if they really, truly felt that way about each other, but boy was he gonna find out.**

 

**Dally tries his best not to speed walk the whole time. The don't stop for burgers, but he does grab a bottle of whiskey for himself before they head up to his room. Thankfully the walk here had been nice and quiet, and though he was somewhat calmed down, he was still so confused. He kicks off his shoes immediately and slams the door behind him, mostly because he'd kicked it shut. He opens the bottle before taking a seat and takes a huge swig. Then, finally, he looks at Johnny and can't help but frown. He knows damn well Johnny has been beaten worse, but it still pulls at his heart and makes him want to march right back out and go on the warpath all over again. Now that they're alone, though, he's not sure what to say.**

  
  
  


He didn't say anything as they were leaving but he gave Pony a reassuring look before heading out the door. As they walked he just thought. There was a lot of things he wanted to say or at least try and convey but he really didn't know how. He got to a point where he just sort of gave up and once inside he didn't know what to do or say. He opted to simply sit down on Dally's bed and and sort of look at his hands. Johnny was sure he looked like shit. The Curtis' had helped patch him up but really there was only so much that could be done. For the most part he just had to wait and let his body heal. Glancing up at Dallas he wanted to say something to break the silence that hung in the air; however, nothing he thought of saying would do any good right now. For now he would just wait for Dally to say something again.

  
  
  


**As he realizes rather quickly that it's up to him to break the ice, he takes another sip and tries to think of something good. Eventually he takes a seat on the mattress beside Johnny, trying not to be too close or too far. After a few more frustrating moments of silence he huffs and takes one more sip before putting the lid back on the bottle and setting it aside. He taps the pack of cigarettes through his vest pocket but decides against, instead turning to look directly at Johnny for the first time in awhile. "...So, how long have you had this weird feeling?" He didn't wanna be specific, already kind of embarrassed just saying that, but he forces himself to keep looking at Johnny anyway. It's hard not to let his gaze keep wandering back to the big shiner he's got, and Dally scolds himself for not grabbing some ice, suddenly wanting to run off to grab some but being trapped by his own question.**

  
  
  


Much to Johnny's displeasure he felt heat rise to his cheeks and he looked away, giving a little shrug. "It's a little hard to pinpoint exactly when but it was a little bit before everything with Bob.." It had started out really small, just sort of like a nagging in the back of his head but as more stuff went down it slowly got stronger. Dally was the main one who would come visit him while he was recovering and they talked a good deal on that time. Even when they weren't talking just having him there did wonders to help him feel better. 

 

Finally he lifted his gaze and looked to Dallas. "And you..? Cuz I mean." Looking away once more he interlocked his fingers. "I feel like ya wouldn't have said anything if it hadnt been in your mind for a while..."

  
  
  


**He had to admit, at least to himself, that Johnny's keen observation caught him off guard. At first Dally shrugs, not wanting to answer the question, but then he realizes Johnny hadn't put up any fuss answering him. Fair was fair. "I dunno," He looks away and pulls the pack out, playing with it in his hands idly for something aside from the other boy to concentrate on. "Probably longer than I know." That seemed about right, because thinking back, he couldn't place where the weird feelings came from. Dally could remember a few occasions where his heart had fluttered years ago. Did that mean something was wrong with him? He briefly worried that he might be gay for all dudes, but quickly realized he'd seen tons of dudes without shirts on and never felt a thing similar to what he had for the kid. So Johnny must've just been special. "I gotta wonder, though..." He trails off realizing he's just a little bit drunk. Before he can talk himself out of it, he looks at Johnny again and hesitantly touches his cheek to make him look back. He stares at Johnny's lips for only half a second before leaning in for a kiss. It's simple, kind of chaste, but he doesn't want to force himself on Johnny let alone make either of them feel weirder than they already do.**

  
  
  


Simply listening Johnny gave a lot to nod of his head. It seemed like Dally had been dealing with this feeling a lot longer than he had but Johnny was also a lot less relationship focused than most. He'd accepted at a pretty young age that he was probably just gonna be alone and was going to be lucky just to find some friends who would put up with him. Then Ponyboy found him and though they had some troubles at the beginning they became pretty good friends, practically brothers in Johnny's eyes. Then Dallas moved into town and, thanks to Two-Bit, became part of the gang. He admired him so much and wished so much he could be strong and all tough like he was but he knew he would never managed it. Hell for a while he couldn't even bring himself to really try and interact with Dally because he thought he was so high above him. He always just had this air to him...

 

Johnny was pulled from his thoughts as he felt the gentle touch of Dally's calloused hand upon his cheek, willing him to look back at the other. What happened next was something he'd really never expected; a deep red blush creeping up onto his face. It really wasn't much more than a little peck but it was enough that he could feel the slight caution behind it and could taste the whisky that lingered upon the other's lips. With his heart feeling like it would beat out of his chest he gazed at the other. It wasn't bad in any way, just sort of caught him off guard since he hadn't even been looking at Dally at first.

 

In that little part of his mind there was a voice saying to lean forward and get another kiss; however, unlike Dallas, Johnny was completely sober right now and didn't have the courage to do it.

  
  
  


**After they separate he wants to look away but doesn't, curious to try and read the emotions on the others face. For Dally, it definitely hadn't been bad, in fact it was probably one of the purest feelings from a kiss he'd ever gotten. Nothing about Johnny was abrasive or offensive or out to one up him. He'd never really been with a shy person before, most of the girls he'd run with having had quite a mouth or in some cases even fists. Thinking about how kissing Johnny felt, he can't help but smile a little. He looks away sheepishly, a first for Dallas Winston, heart of stone. He sticks a cigarette between his lips and one in Johnny's, only the faintest of a flush to his cheeks. "Was that okay? I dunno what to do about... y'know. Feelings." He shudders at the word, obviously not a fan of being so open. It would take some getting used to. He lights the others cigarette first, then his own, and takes a long, distracting drag before blowing the smoke out of his nose and picking at a loose thread at the bottom of his shirt. If anyone else had been around to see him, he likely would have hit them.**

  
  
  


It was a little odd to see Dallas actually get flustered but it made him happy. It was a sign that Dallas really trusted him and genuinely really liked him. Next to no one ever sees this soft side of Dallas Winston because even when drunk the man tended to be all sharp edges and broken bottles. He really couldn't help the little sheepish smile that lingered upon his lips as he took a drag, looking down at his lap. "Yeah it was..." He looked back up. "Really nice, actually." He wanted so badly to reach out to him, give him a hug or something but he still just couldn't bring himself to do much of anything. He was just so worried because what if something happened and Dallas changed his mind? What if he decided he didn't really like him and just ignored him.

  
  
  


**He lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in, too relieved that he hadn't fucked up already. That was inevitable; Dallas Winston wasn't allowed nice things, not for long anywho. He is at a loss for words and sick of thinking of everything too much, so he leans against the wall and stretches his arms up, almost smashing the cherry of his cigarette into the wall. Hesitantly he puts an arm around Johnny's shoulder and pulls him close, trying to enjoy the buzz from the booze and the butterflies in his tummy. Maybe if they just kept things a secret things wouldn't turn sour. But he had no idea how to treat Johnny nicely if he couldn't take him out and buy him things. Sure, he'd still buy him a meal and stuff, but they would never get to snuggle close in a movie theatre, or share a shake. He wonders if this is just some kind of starstruck phase the kid is going through, if he'll get tired of Dally's harshness and cold ways.**

  
  
  


So this is what being loved felt like. It wasn't anything extravagant but it was more than enough. Just being there with Dallas; leaning into him without having to worry. They were safe here and Dallas hadn't rejected him like he had been so worried he would. Sure it wasn't set in stone yet because both of them were still properly trying to figure it all out inside their heads but this... It really felt right.

 

Being in the embrace of the one he'd pined for and just relaxing. Smoking a cigarette like nothing was wrong and even though he could feel the vibrations from the music downstairs he really couldn't bring himself to care. Sure they would never really be able to do what all those other couples did just because of what everyone would say, but they could at least be happy here. In a safe and blocked off area where no one could judge them. If that's what they had to do he was okay with it.

  
  
  


**By the time he finishes his cigarette he can feel yawns building up in his chest. All the aches and pains from working, from always being stressed, from hours of being pissed off hit him all at once and he feels tired. It was probably brought on by the booze but he feels too exhausted to drink more to stay up, and frankly he feels really nice right now. Johnny is warm and the perfect size for him, it just feels like their bodies fit together as if they were two puzzles pieces. He leans his head on Johnny's and closes his eyes, surprised by how easily he begins to drift off.**

 

**Soon enough his body relaxes and his breathing calms down. Dally had fallen asleep on him; anybody else would have shoved him off or laughed at him and rudely woken him up. His sleep addled brain conjures brief glimpses of happy memories before quickly turning them into bad situations. His dreams threaten to become nightmares but he stirs, maybe an hour or two later (depends how long Johnny lets him rest). He wakes with a start, briefly disoriented before he remembers who the jean jack he is touching belongs to. His head hurts a little bit but not too bad and he mumbles an apology while trying to lift his arm.**

 

**He shimmies off his vest before plopping down onto the mattress face first, he mumbles something indiscernible into the pillow. Once Johnny is laying down too, he rolls to his side and pulls Johnny's back against his chest, hugging him tightly and breathing on the nape of his neck. "mmm'night Johnny," is all he can muster before sleep takes him again.**

  
  
  


Johnny wasn't to tired given he'd been asleep for a good little portion of the day but he didn't mind at all as Dallas slowly dozed off. He simply closed his eyes and listened to the steady breathing coming from the other, focusing on the warmth that radiated from him and the way being so close made his heart beat fast. He was unable to sleep during that time but he really didn't mind. He was comfortable and happy and really could have stayed there all night.

 

As Dallas woke with a start Johnny couldn't help but jump a little to, his near black eyes gazing at the other with slight concern. Dally seened fine though, just still sort of tires as he took his best off and settled into the bed. It could possibly be seen as a little selfish maybe but he didn't want this to end so he took off his jacket and laid down next to him. Happy to just be near him Johnny was planning on simply laying upon and possibly sleeping on the edge of the bed but that idea was tossed away as the other gently wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. The warm puff of Dally's breath that ghosts across his neck makes him shiver just the tiniest bit. It was an odd feeling that made his heart jump. "Night Dally.." With a soft voice he replied to the other before settling in a little better, even managing to doze off until morning.  


	5. Day 5

**He has a slew of dreams that he barely remembers once he wakes, but for the most part he sleeps like a rock and barely moves. When he wakes up it is a little hot and muggy as the sun streams through the tiny window by the door. At first he can't understand why he's so warm and then he realizes someone is in his arms and his eyes open wide. The night before begins to flood back into his memory, and he is both elated and appalled at what he can remember. Usually he doesn't get too bad of hangovers but right now he feels the sickest he's been in months as his stomach does backflips and barrel rolls.**

 

**With an arm somehow now trapped under Johnny's neck he feels helpless, not wanting to wake the other but also thinking he might puke at any moment. When the feeling becomes too much he groans and does his best to carefully detach from Johnny. He runs outside and down to the bathrooms, not wanting the first thing the other heard in the morning to be the lovely sound of vomiting. He's gone for about 20 minutes and returns with another jug of water. His hair is wet as if he showered and his shirt is over a shoulder, pants hanging off his waist and socks in his other hand. Once back inside he feels a flush creep over him and has to steady himself before turning to Johnny. "Morning."**

  
  
  


The dreams, or specifically the lack there of, that Johnny had made his sleep rather peaceful. A calm darkness where he was enveloped in earth and for once there was nothing wrong. Although this peaceful feeling went away as soon as he awoke, remembering last night and noticing that Dallas was gone. His heart dropped into his stomach and he felt sick as he fought back a swell of emotions. He shouldn't have let Dallas do or say anything. He shouldn't have come with him. He should have just stayed at the Curtis house and avoided all of this. Dallas had been drunk and probably woke up feeling disgusted and sick. He must have just gotten out of there as soon as he woke up and had probably been ever so careful so Johnny wouldn't wake up and he wouldn't have to face him. This feeling was worse than any beating he'd ever gotten before and it enveloped him completely in a matter of seconds. 

 

Fighting back a wave of anxiety and the nausea that came with it Johnny sat up and brought his knees to his chin. For some reason he felt like crying but held it back as he simply his his face in his knees. He just needed to pull himself together and then he would leave; hopefully before Dallas returned from where it was he'd left for. Maybe he'd gone to visit Sylvia or something? Chase away the thought of kissing and sleeping with Johnny by overriding them with 'fun times' with some casual hookup. 

 

At the sound of the door opening the young greaser practically jumped out of his skin, his eyes darting to the door but quickly moving elsewhere out of shame. Just the glimpse of him without his shirt and his pants practically off of hips caused a flush to come to his cheeks and he thought if Dally saw that he'd hate him for good. When Dallas looked at him there was still a flush upon his cheeks but there was a sadness and pain in his black eyes as he avoided the gaze of the other. "Mornin'...." His heart hurt and he wanted nothing more than to curl in on himself and just disappear for awhile.

  
  
  


**One look at Johnny and it's obvious he was having some kind of issue, he looked somehow worse than before. Dallas scolds himself for not grabbing ice for his shiner. He takes a few moments to look the other over, blue eyes searching for a sign about what was eating Johnny. He couldn't tell if it had been because of recalling the night before, from waking up alone, or maybe a nightmare. He tosses his shirt n socks on the arm of the couch and walks over to Johnny, squatting down next to him.**

 

**"Hey kid, you okay?" He decides to play it casual until given a reason not to. Dally didn't have the nerve to bring up what had happened last night, he just hoped that Johnny wasn't upset over that. He hated feeling scared or worried. "I meant to bring you up some ice for your eye but I forgot..." He offers the water for lack of anything else. Part of him wants to hug Johnny and try to comfort him but he can't manage to get himself to do it.**

  
  
  


His gaze stayed off of Dallas the whole time, not even looking to him when he spoke. Giving a shake of his head he hunched his shoulders some, both at the water and his eye. "It's not that Dallas...... It's about last night... I shouldn't have let you-and I shouldn't have said anything.... I should have just stayed at the Curtis house and avoided all this..." He couldn't help as he voice gave away and cracked a little as he spoke. "You got drunk and I didn't stop you or resist or anything.... 'M sorry..." Finally raising his head his hair fell in front of his shimmering tear filled eyes. "Ya probably think 'm disgusting' now, huh?" He looked down at his lap with this broken smile and a pain in his eyes. "Left as soon as ya woke up... Probably go throw up 'n maybe hit someone up to wash it all away." 

 

Self doubt and anxiety clouded his mind as the words just slipped from his chapped lips. How could he be so stupid to think that the great Dallas Winston would ever really be interested and a good for nothing guy like himself.  Of course Dallas wasn't really into guys. How could he let himself get swept up so Damn easily.

  
  
  


**His heart feels like it is being crushed, both from what he's saying and how he's saying it. At first he thinks Johnny is disgusted by him and regretted what they'd done because he hated it. It quickly became evident that he was having doubts, and well, honestly so was Dally. How did he always manage to fuck things up? Suddenly he's worried that somehow it's his fault Johnny felt the way he did, like Dally had somehow manipulated him into being a queer. He feels sick again and is worried he might throw up, so he turns way and takes a few deep breaths.**

 

**"No it ain't like that. I remember most of what happened, what we said and did." He turns back the kid once he's sure he wont puke, and shakes his head. "Just a bit hung over. You did nothing wrong I was just an idiot, drank too much on an empty stomach, woke up feeling like a worldwide rumble was happening in my guts." He reaches out and squeezes Johnny's shoulder. "I know that... whatever is happening here ain't gonna be easy, But you mean a lot to me. So there's that." Dally almost prays that he is even the faintest bit comforting.**

  
  
  


It was silent as Johnny tried to not hide his face in his knees again. He wanted to believe Dallas so badly but he just couldn't. It's had nothing to do with Dallas really give Johnny was just sure it wasn't okay. He didn't exactly say it was Okay what happened last night, and it really wasn't. They were guys and if they actually liked each other as more than just a cool member of the gang that made the queer. Yeah It wasn't a hard stretch for Johnny given he was all softer edges and quiet words, but Dallas? No.... Hes tough and gets practically any greaser girl he wants. He's known all through the city and is nothing but sharp edges.

 

All these thoughts ran around his mind, making his heart pound in his chest and his grip upon his own pants that kept his legs close to his chest tightening. It faded just the slightest bit when not only had Dallas reached out and made contact to try and comfort him, He's even said that Johnny meant a lot to him and coming from Dally that wasn't a thing to be taken lightly. "Really?" Was all the younger of the two could manage as a reply at that moment. He did at least look back at Dallas though; an uncertain but hopeful look hovering in his dark eyes.

  
  
  


**With a nod and a sigh he slides over to half hug, half pull Johnny into his lap. At least this part of things was easy; he'd always wanted to be more handsy, more caring towards Johnny. It was just hard not to be rough with a dude and giving Johnny noogies was about as rough as he wanted to get. Hugging the kid is about all he can think of to do to try to make him feel better and Dally doesn't look forward to the day it won't be useful. "Yes really, what, you think I'd lie to you?" His hands wander to Johnny's sides and squeeze just a little, wanting to tickle him but not wanting to treat him too much like a child.**

 

**"C'mon you should know how special you are by now. I can't be that much of a rat bastard," He laughs to show he's being light hearted. "You're half the reason I ain't been in the slammer for more than a few months at a time, and almost alla the reason I even stayed here. I saw you and I thought, 'hey that kid reminds me of me! Better make sure he doesn't turn out as rotten'. If your mother had a heart, she'd be proud of me for wanting to make sure you don't become the same scum as the rest of your family. Probably." He's still trying to keep it lighthearted even though he's back to being annoyed at Johnny's parents for being such garbage people.**

  
  
  


No protest was given as Dallas pulled Johnny closer to him, it was the opposite really. The smaller boy leaned into the warmth of the other and sought comfort in his embrace and words. Those words meant more to Johnny than Dallas could probably ever know. Just hearing that he played a role in someone's life, epically someone who he had looked up to and had feelings for for so long, meant a lot to the boy. His life and his being there actually meant something which he had never really thought about. Even after everything in the church he thought that if he passed the gang would grit their teeth and move on. Everyone was tough and had already dealt with loss in one way or another and he didn't really think that him leaving would leave to big of a mark on anyone. 

 

He gave a very small and sort of weak smile at Dallas talking about his family being scum and everything. "I don't think anyone's gotta worry about me becomin' like them. I ain't got the heart to be so cruel..." His words were soft and there was a hint of sadness to them. He knew they were horrible but family is family and even if he would never be like them they would still always be there. The idea of them and all that they have said and done always nagging at the back of his mind. The lies they have told and harsh words thrown his way almost constantly when he's there. Everyone just lied so easily, hiding cruelty and secret motives behind kind or fancy words.

 

With these thoughts running through his head anxiety quickly grew in his chest and he looked at Dallas with round eyes, searching for any lies and hoping to find a kind truth. Even now he was just too hard for Johnny to read and he couldn't help but shrink away a little as he shifted his gaze down to the floor. "I wanna belive ya Dal.... I-I really do but... It's just so easy to lie..and you've lied so much in the past..." Closing his eyes for a couple seconds he tightened his grip on his pants again and tried to gather his thoughts. "It can just be so hard ta..to take words at face value anymore; especially with something that's as big as this..." Dark eyes met with blue as he gazed upwards and into Dally's face. "S-so please.... Do something to show me that you.... That you actually mean it.."

  
  
  


**He can tell Johnny is struggling internally before he starts to stutter out his words. His whole body shifts away and becomes tense and Dally can't help but feel a little hurt by it, even though he knows it isn't exactly personal. Regardless, Johnny was right, Dally lied every day and hardly gave it a second thought. Hell, he'd lied just half an hour ago after his shower, saying he'd been out helping a friend until late when asked where he'd been for the nights events. Dally just nods along to the rest of what Johnny says, feeling his own ball of anxiety start to build up.**

 

**Part of him wants to be angry and cocky and mock the notion that he had to prove his intentions while the other half feels sick with shyness and guilt. He just wasn't used to it. Sylvia had been easy to kiss and touch, if only because she'd been expecting and wanting it. Johnny was a ball of nerves and more often than not a little bit out of it, caught up in his own world. If only Johnny had been born a girl then all of this would be easier. Dally hates to think like that but has little else to think. If only, if only, but life was always cruel.**

 

**He can understand why Johnny needs reassurance though, and he isn't mad about it. He looks at the kids face, looks at his downcast eyes and gaunt cheeks. It would be easier in time, he hoped, to comfort his little friend. Even if they decided this kind of weird potential romance wasn't their cup of tea he would still treat Johnny like a little brother and take care of him. It would break his heart but he would do it, anything to give the kid a chance to survive past his mid 20s. When Johnny looks up at him he puts a hand on his jaw, gentle but firm, and kisses him as passionately but tamely as possible. He wants to try to convey his feelings through his lips without driving himself wild with lust.**

  
  
  


Anxiety melted away to become more of an embarrassed yet happy flutter in his chest as Dally's lips met his own. There was no lingering taste of whisky and now more emotion was held within it and Johnny could tell as he returned the kiss. He believed him now, whole heartedly. There was no denying that Dallas truly cared for him and the words he spoke where the truth. His worries about this could be laid to rest for a good long time, or at least he would feel those thoughts don't hold as much anymore.

 

As they pulled away from the kiss a deep red blush was apparent on Johnny's face; his gaze softening and seeming far more alive as he smiled gently at the other. He had relaxed and even brought his own hand up to lay over Dally's as he shifted his head a little to rest more into the other's touch. Closing his eyes peacefully his smile grew a little wider as he spoke a quiet, 'Thank you.'

  
  
  


**The red that colors his face is much more faint than the tint to Johnny's face, but he is pleased nonetheless. To see him looking so peaceful and content was a nice break from his constant nervous glances and unsure gaze. Maybe one day Dally would be able to teach him to have a little confidence in himself. He wanted to tell Johnny to keep his thanks to himself until they were really needed but he figured the kid was probably just happy last night hadn't just been some weird fling. He had to keep reminding himself to consider Johnny's thoughts and feelings before thinking and acting.**

 

**"It's the least I can do. Maybe... maybe things'll change your mind about staying at home..." He hadn't meant to kill the moment and hoped he hadn't, but of course it was on his mind. Sometime in the next week or two he would move his measly amount of stuff to his new place. "I mean, I ain't gonna drag you kickin' an' screamin' I'm just sayin' maybe things won't always be so bad." Dally gives his back a little rub and cracks his own in the process. "Besides, aren't they just gonna kick you out when you turn 18 anyway?"**

  
  
  


With a shrug Johnny lowers his hand, taking Dally's with it; however he didn't shift away or even pull his hand away from Dally's. "Yeah.. There's no denying they'll get rid of me but..." With yet another shrug he focuses on their hands and the differences between them. Dallas' looked all beat up and scared from to many brawls where as Johnny's had the dancing scars from the flames of that fateful night covering his skin. Staying quiet he tries to get his thoughts in line. What if having him spend every night there Dallas got tired of him. Sure before now they saw each other a lot but Dallas always had time away from him and if Johnny lived with him Dallas wouldn't really get much time to his own anymore. Despite these thoughts he still wanted to try though. Maybe things really would be better and for once his body could be free from any open wounds or healing bruises. "You won't haveta drag me. We'll try it, okay?" Once more he raised his head to look at the other. "But if things go sideways or ya start ta get fed up with me I'm gonna go back to my house." If only for a little bit if either of them needed a breather for one reason or another Johnny would find somewhere else to stay. Now really he probably wouldn't go back to that house once he's left but he would crash on the Curtis' couch or curl up in the lot.

  
  
  


**He feels elation build up in his chest and rocks Johnny's a little bit with his grip, obviously excited. It dies down a little bit though once Johnny starts talking about him getting fed up. How could Dally ever be fed up with him? The most annoying Johnny ever was, was when he was putting himself down, and it wasn't like Dally was ready to be rid of him for that. "What makes you so sure I'll get tired of you? We'll have plenty of alone time, I work 12 hours a day and it's not like you can't go visit Pony and the boys. Stop thinkin' like that when I just showed ya how much I like ya!" This time he does ruffled his hair a little bit, trying to be serious but lighthearted at the same time.**

 

**With that said and done he grabs the new jug of water and chugs it probably more than he needs to before offering it to Johnny. "Are you hungry or anything?" He lights a cigarette for himself and sets the pack on Johnny's knee. "I gotta work tonight but maybe we can go catch a daytime flick or something." Dally reminded himself that they could go out anywhere so long as they acted like nothing more than friends or brothers. He could even take Johnny out for a fancy meal and nobody would care, well, save for maybe their trashy clothes.**

  
  
  


Looking at the other through his bangs which were pretty effectively in his face now have gave just a hint of a pout. "Ya know I can't help it, Dal." And really he couldn't. He had just always had this downer mindset with things and even though he had been very slowly been getting better thanks to the gang he still wasn't exactly the best at thinking positively for very long.

 

Taking the jug he took a couple of swigs before placing the cap on it and setting it to the side. "Not really but I haven't eaten in a while so.." It really had been probably over twelve hours since he last ate something and he had thought about simply saying that he wasn't but if they did go to a movie the smell of food would have made his stomach growl.

 

Giving a nod to the idea of going to see a movie Johnny picked the pack of cigarettes up off his knee and got one out for himself. He dug out his pack of matches and wasn't exactly thrilled to see that it was empty. He hadn't really been smoking that much lately but he also hadn't gotten a fresh box of matches in a good long time. "Ya got a spare match?" Johnny asked as he tucked the empty matchbox back into his pocket, planning on actually throwing the thing away at some point later that day.

  
  
  


**"Well, maybe you should try a little harder 'cause I don't like you putting yourself down all the time. People already do that, you gotta build yourself up a bit." He puffs on his cigarette and examines Johnny's face and posture, wondering if he'd ever be able to give the kid some confidence. "So try an' remember I like you okay? 'Cause otherwise it's gonna get annoying... and no, I don't mean I'm gonna kick you out for it, I just mean.... ahhhhhhh." He huffs and puffs for lack of better wording. "You know what I mean." He can already imagine the burger he's going to order and his stomach grumbles loudly at the thought.**

 

**He hands over his matches without a second glance and smokes his cigarette. "Mmm. Burgers and then we'll go see what's playing, probably something stupid and yuppy but if it seems too boring we can always ditch out and do something else. Kick a can around or maybe go play some darts." Once he's smoked the cigarette down to the filter he butts it out and finally removes his arm from around Johnny's shoulders in favor of stretching and yawning. Several bones crack and he groans in what sounds like both pain and pleasure. He wants to ask if Johnny thought he'd be here tonight but was a little afraid, figuring it would be a no because Johnny didn't want to be clingy.**

  
  
  


With matches now in hand he lights the cigarette and takes a drag from it before placing the pack of cigarettes and matches into the bed. "I know Dal and I am tryin'." He Really was too, but when you are out down so much by both family and your peers it's hard to stay confident when you didn't have any confidence to start with. Even when he was a little kid he tended to be harsh on himself given his parents always were too. They were cold a cruel without a shred of kindness within their hearts and though Johnny had managed to keep his heart it was pretty badly damaged. 

 

Finishing not long after Dallas, Johnny outs his cigarette and then looks over to him. He didn't remember Dally ever sounding to be in such a shape with his bones. Sure at the Curtis house it was normal given all that Darry lifted throughout the day and the different things that the other two boys juggled around, but Dallas. He used to be fine and would do his own thing a lot of the time. Now he's got a job that got him working a large chunk of the day and even though it gets them money he can't help but worry a little.

 

"Sounds good." He wasn't the best at darts but it could still be enjoyable. Plus no matter what he'd at least be able to be with Dallas during all this time.

 

**Dally gets up and gets dressed, makes sure he has his wallet and cigs, and then heads out. They go to the same place they had last time for burgers and Dally damn near forces Johnny to get something new. He couldn't really say it in case anyone around them was eavesdropping but this was basically almost a date. Therefore Johnny had to let him treat him to something nice. They talk about some of the previous movies they'd seen and their favorite actors and actresses. "Gee, it sure would be an easy life being in the movies. All you gotta do is smile or cry a bunch."**

 

**Once their meals are finished, Dally having helped Johnny finish his fries, he pays and they head out. When they reach the theatre they have a pick between a movie they've seen before and some romantic comedy he's never heard of. Either way they have to wait fifteen minutes until the movie starts. He decides it might be better to try something new even if it's not really his favorite kind of movie. They grab a coke each before taking a seat in back. Since it's the early afternoon there are a couple of young families present as well as some high school sweeties. Just as they're getting comfortable and joking about the main characters in the movie from how they'd looked on the poster, someone slides up behind them and puts their arms around Dally's shoulders.**

 

**It's difficult for him to not respond with violence, having been unprepared to be touched by a stranger. Except when he turns to see who it is it's not a stranger, but Sylvia with a big grin plastered onto her face. Dally feels his guts sink and a mixture of rage and disgust builds up. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms the last time they had seen each other, and he was upset that she was touching him so casually in front of Johnny, who was probably about to have a panic attack over this. He wants to tell her to get out of here and leave him alone but she speaks first.**

 

**"Long time no see cutie, taking the kid out on the town? Never pictured either of you as the rom-com types." She snickers and pats Johnny's shoulder playfully. She had never really been nice or mean to Johnny considering most of her attention had always been focused on Dallas. He wasn't keen on her touching him, or saying anything, or being here at all.**

 

**"It was this or something we'd already seen, a guy's allowed to try something new," He damn near snaps. His whole body is tense and he sort of shrugs her off but she ignores it and just hops over the seat to sit on the other side of him.**

 

**She says a bunch of things, acting like they hadn't broken up for real last time. He cuts her down a few times, eventually giving up on any semblance of politeness until the two of them are in a bit of an argument. Obviously she has no idea he has his heart set on someone else, and when she finally seems to understand Dally doesn't have any interest in hooking up with her again, she gets mad. She stands up and tosses her small bag of popcorn at him. "You really are an asshole Dallas Winston! I was playing nice! You and your little sissy friend enjoy this dumb movie, I hope you get sick!"**

 

**With that she storms off and Dallas is left feeling angry and embarrassed and covered in popcorn. He hasn't even looked at Johnny in a while, having missed the beginning of the movie too thanks to Sylvia, but it feels like the day has been ruined. He's worried Johnny feels bad and he's also worried Sylvia might cause trouble later just because he didn't wanna be with her anymore. "Shit, I'm sorry Johnny, I didn't think she'd be here." Now going out was even more of a chore; he could run into her anywhere at any time as they both knew a lot of the same people and partied in the same houses.**

  
  
  
  


As Dallas goes around Johnny stayed in the bed and just sort of watched him go about. Although he got up and put on his jacket as Dallas was just about ready. His emotions had evened out for the most part by this point and he was just overall feeling pretty happy. 

 

Johnny really wasn't wanting to get anything more expensive than what he normally would but something dawned on him as Dallas pushed for him to get something better. This was sort of a date for them, wasn't it? Or at least probably the closest they could ever do, so do course he gave in. He got something only a little nicer and focused mainly on eating the burger given it had more to it. By the time he was full there was only a tiny bit of his burger left and some fries. With the help of Dallas who seemed to practically always be hungry now a days they finished off his food and headed out. 

 

"No kiddin'.. Pays well too I hear." From some of the stuff in the newspaper he'd seen actors actually got paid a good deal and could last off of one gig for a while. Well as long as you don't blow it all on something stupid that is. 

 

At the sight of Sylvia touching Dallas like that Johnny's stomach churned and he felt a knot of displeasure in his gut. Anxiety quickly mixed in as she continued to try and buddy up to Dallas and voices grew louder. He hated arguing and shoting like this. It brought back far too many horrible memories for him and now it felt even worse. She wouldn't leave him be and Johnny wanted nothing more than to tell her to go away. She was causing to much trouble and the sight of her trying to hang off of Dal caused an odd mixture of anxiety, sadness, and displeasure.

 

As it continued he just bit the inside of his cheek and refused to look at the two of them. It was nice that Dallas was pushing her away because it showed again that he cared and wasn't really willing to just hook up since they were sort of together now; however, he still didn't like to see or hear it. Come the end of the argument Johnny jumped a little as she yells and three her popcorn down at Dally. It pulled him back into their conversation just in time to hear her call him a sissy and he couldn't help but bunch his shoulders and gaze away. She wasn't wrong. He couldn't stand up for himself very well and could only stand up for his friends in the right situations. 

 

"It's okay Dal..." Was looking at the movie as he spoke but it was easy enough to tell he really wasn't happy about what just went down due to his expression. Although as he spoke he messed the the sleeve of his jacket some.

  
  
  
  
  


**Part of him wants to yell and break something, the other half just wants to ditch out and be moody. He's not used to keeping himself in check or trying to ignore his bitter feelings, but he knows full well that Johnny doesn't deserve any of his bitterness. He wants to hug him or comfort him but is too afraid even though the crowd around them is sparse and likely nobody else was paying them any attention. Dally hated having feelings of cowardice but he knew that being brave and being smart were two entirely different things. No good would come from people thinking they were queers.**

 

**He can imagine life only getting worse for both of them, but more so he can imagine all the worst things happening to Johnny. He tried hard to be tough but he didn't quite have it in him to give up feelings and go cold. People would always pick on him because he was small but he couldn't stand the thought of him being surrounded by teasing Socs, or worse, his parents finding out. The only thing that could top everyone in town knowing about them was Johnny's parents knowing. If they found out they straight up might end up killing the kid out of sheer rage and disgust.**

 

**His thoughts definitely aren't helping him to cope with his upset feelings and distress. With agitation he lights a cigarette and sulks quietly for a bit, trying to think of anything that might salvage their afternoon. "It's not okay," He says after a few minutes. "That really pisses me off. I was looking forward to spending time with you but now I just feel mad, and I don't know what to do about it." At least he could be honest with Johnny without feeling too self conscious. "I don't wanna direct any of this at you, but I don't wanna ditch you." He stares at the screen without really watching what is going on, only vaguely registering the actors go about their business. "An' I don't want you to sit here feeling like crap just 'cause some dumb broad can't keep her damn trap shut."**

  
  


"Well we're still spending time together, ya know? And we can always go off and do somethin' else or just go walkabout. Give ya time to cool down 'n everything. Maybe even just go back to your place for a little while." He was nervous to speak up like this but he did it anyways, only glancing at the other here and there. With both of them having more serious expressions but Johnny's eyes still conveying something more he felt it would be better if they didn't really look at one another. When Dally wasn't in a good mood he would leave or go silent and Johnny wanted to at least have that seem to be whats going on. He wanted to be happy and he wanted to just act as he wished but he was terrified of all of the backlash they would get. Anything that came his way he would grit his teeth and bare it but if they went after Dallas and he did something stupid he'd get locked away and Johnny would be stuck alone again. Oh god and if anything got out he knew it would make it back to his parents so he could never go anywhere near that house ever again. Hell he might even lose the rest of the gain depending on how they took it and then he'd be out of luck. 

 

Even if Dallas did take some of it out on Johnny he would try his best to understand. He didn't handle being attacked by those he trusted and cared about very well but that anger wouldn't really be for him and he'd try to get that through his head. Try and not be broken from it.

  
  
  


**It was a bit of a surprise but a nice one to hear Johnny actually respond. Dally relaxes just a little bit at that, glad that Johnny's day wasn't entirely ruined. "You're right. We shouldn't let this dumb encounter spoil the rest of our time together." The relief he feels is conveyed in his voice even though the anger itself isn't gone. He would just have to try to ignore his annoyance and focus on the present. "If you wanna leave we can, I don't even have a clue what's going on in the movie now. Who's that chick? And how did they get to the beach so fast?" He's trying to be lighthearted and salvage the situation and is surprised it takes so much out of him. Being nice to someone you care about wasn't easy.**

 

**For now he just sits there and calms down, stealing glances at his friend every few seconds while his hands fidget away with the cigarette. He barely smokes it and it almost goes out twice but at least he's somewhat calmed down. Finally he turns to Johnny, realizing he seems bored and lost in thought. The movie didn't seem too interesting anyway even if they had been paying attention. "Ah, we picked a crap day to go catch a flick," He laughs mirthlessly. "Probably something better playing tonight. I ain't ever been big on rom-coms anywho." He nudges Johnny's shoulder gently with an elbow. "Let's go hit up the arcade. They ain't got a good selection like the ones in NYC, but it's better than this joint."**

 

**Honestly he liked the movies but most of his time here was spent making out and flirting. Dally had seen a few good movies and probably missed a few good movies but overall, sitting in one place for over an hour was never his cup of tea. He got antsy and restless pretty easy. He takes his coke, forgotten until now, and chugs half of it before standing. "I mean, if you're up for it. I'm fine with just walkin' around too." If they went back to his place they could be close and touch each other without much fear, but his face reddens at that thought. His mind quickly wanders into dangerous and arousing territory, and he is embarrassed he even thought of such a thing in public.**

  
  
  


At Dally's reply Johnny just smiles and shrugs a little. He'd been watching it to keep out of what was going on with Sylvia but really none of it had really stuck. It wasn't something interesting enough at that point and there were other things in his mind that it simply became background noise. 

 

Like what almost always happened Johnny found himself lost in thought and got yanked from it by someone talking to him. Sure he really didn't mind given his train of thoughts weren't always the best but it just seemed to happen a lot more recently. This was actually maybe the second time Johnny had ever actually seen a Rom-com given she. They did come for movies they tended to go with more interesting or which one would have more girls to flirt with. It made his heart clench thinking about how many girls Dallas had flirted with in the past but he tried to push it from his mind. Now was not the time for this. 

 

"The arcade sounds really good actually." Having been broke for far to long and having no one who was really interested Johnny actually hadn't been to the arcade in a good long while. He remembered liking it a lot one time when he went with Ponyboy and his family while their folks were still around and it was a good time to look back on.

  
  
  


**Dally nods and heads off. Part of him regretted wasting the money on a movie, but the other half doesn't care. Now that he actually had some money saved and had a steady source of income, it was less of an issue. In fact, it was kind of nice not having to go around stealing shit to pawn or doing some kind of shady drug deal. He had never really pictured himself as an honest working man but so far it wasn't that bad. They make their way to the arcade without much incident, though again a car drives by them and yells obscenities, to which Dally responds to quickly. This time he picks up a stone and tosses it and it breaks one of the cars tail lights; for a second his guts fly up his throat in horror as he whole heartedly expects the car to turn around and for 4-6 socs to jump them.**

 

**But again, nothing happens. He inwardly tells himself to stop pushing their luck, but it's hard not to want to get back at them somehow. With a mumbled apology and vague reassurance that the socs were just scared of another big rumble, they head into the arcade. It's a lively, loud, colorful place but isn't too packed yet, most of the teenagers still in school. He makes his way to the desk to exchange a few bills for some quarters, then hands Johnny a large handful of them and pats his shoulder. "Do you remember which games you like? We could try them all, I haven't been here in ages."**

 

**Dallas takes the time to make sure he seems cool and composed like always, and he smiles at Johnny a few more times than necessary. He takes any and every opportunity to touch him, just little pats and nudges, the occasional high five. He makes sure to be on his best behaviour in an effort to keep the kid's spirits up. When Johnny tries to refuse more quarters Dallas just blows him off and plays a few himself, thought Johnny seems to be better at most games. It seems like Dallas is letting him win on purpose but honestly he's trying his best and just not as good at it.**

  
  
  


The yelling from the Socs Johnny took okay enough but as Dallas retaliated as normal and even managed to take out the brake light of the car panic spiked. There was like 6 guys in that car and Johnny was still healing from being jumped the other day. He wouldn't be very much help in a fight right now and if Dallas took things too far they'd be screwed. Even with the Socs continuing to drive and a mumbled apology from Dally Johnny was still far more on edge now; looking over his shoulder here and there as they walked just to be careful. 

 

As soon as they step into the arcade the younger greaser's eyes light up and his anxiety managed to mostly melt away. "I haven't been in here in ages..." It looked like they had brought in New games since he was last here and some of them looked absolutely amazing. Given the circumstances and how long it had been since he'd played any games he didn't really put up any sort of fuss when given the first handful of quarters; however, when Dal tried to give him even more quarters he wasn't near as willing. Dallas hadn’t really had a chance to play any games at this point and since Johnny wouldn't take them he used then instead. Watching Dally play the games was interesting and actually still really enjoyable. Being shorter he had to maneuver himself in closer to Dallas to be able to see the screen well which was nice, especially on top of all the little nudges and such that Dallas kept giving him. 

 

One of his favorite things to play was pinball and he was actually really happy that he was actually managing to beat Dallas when it came to that game. He wasn't sure if Dallas was just being nice and letting him win though. Even if he was it was still nice cuz it meant he wanted him to feel good for being able to win.

  
  
  


**They played nearly every game in the building at least once but ended up at the pinball machine for nearly an hour. Johnny was good at it and Dally was trying to learn, but he seemed to have the worst luck when it came to the pinball falling directly dead center. Six times it had happened to him and at this point he was ready to throw in the towel for good. It was nice though, and he wasn't really upset about it. After another round around the arcade Dally glanced at the clock, noting it was nearly time for him to head back and get ready for work. As always when it came time to part he felt his heart sink a bit, wondering where Johnny would spend the evening.**

 

**Next week he would be moving to his new place and hopefully that would encourage Johnny to come over more. The couch had been bought specifically for him but now Dallas was wondering if they would share a bed more often than not. It was nice having someone to sleep with that wasn't insanely clingy or always trying to wake him up. It would be nice if Johnny was more willing to cuddle him, but he really couldn't complain.**

 

**"Well, it's gettin' close to that time," He says as he smokes. "You going to Pony's tonight? You want me to walk you there after I get ready for work?" He thinks to pick up some more food or something for Johnny but is sure he'll try to snake out of it. One meal a day was probably more than he was used to but it definitely wasn't enough for a growing boy. No wonder Johnny was such a runt. "Could pick you guys up some donuts or something to share with the gang. Oh, and I gotta drop off the beer I owe Darry."**

  
  
  


It was actually a little funny how much the machine seemed to dislike Dallas as they took turns playing. Just as Dally was starting to get into the swing of the game the ball would just go straight down the middle and it was game over. 

 

At the others words Johnny's heart sinks a little. He really wasn't wanting to have to part ways with him but he knew it was needed so he could pay for his place. Before reply he looked around a little to make sure no one was really paying them any mind. "Yeah." He gives a small smile up at the older boy. "That'd be real nice."

 

Truth be told he hadn't really thought of where he'd be sleeping tonight as he didn't want to just crash at Dally's again and didn't really want to impose on the Curtis boys. He hadn't seen them to terribly much lately since he'd been spending more time with Dallas, but all three of them had seemed to be a little more high string last time he saw them. Things were rough in their house just like it was for everyone but brothers just butt heads and it ends badly. If things escalated and Pony or Darry yelled at each other Johnny really didn't want to be part of it. Stuff like that got his heart rate going quicker than anything. He didn't know it but it triggered a panic attack almost every time he was in the middle or even near yelling arguments like that. Now that he was thinking about it he'd probably just sleep in the lot but he sure wasn't going to say anything about it. The gang didn't really like it when he slept out in the lot, especially when he was by himself. 

 

"I'm sure they'd appreciate it. Both the food and the booze." Having already eaten a meal Johnny himself really wasn't hungry but the rest of the gang seemed to be able to eat endlessly so the doughnuts would get eaten by one person or another.

  
  


**"Yeah, they always do." He vaguely wondered how things were going with the rest of the gang. He hadn't really spent much time just bumming around and paying attention to the others, not for a few weeks now. Mostly it was due to work, but now... well now he had something really important to spend his time doing, even if he wasn't always sure what they would do. Dally hated when things got awkward between them as he had no idea how to smooth things out yet and both of them were kind of nervous about it all. Plus, he didn't want to put any pressure on Johnny, but he was really starting to wonder how things were going to work out for them.**

 

**They head back to his place where he quickly changes into trashier clothes for work, the pair of jeans he slips on having some tears and oil stains. Eventually he was going to have to buy himself some new clothes and he loathed the idea of standing around some store browsing. He didn't like most clothes and he sure as hell didn't like most people. He chugs water, makes sure he's got his wallet, cigarettes, and matches, then they head out to the Curtis household. On the way they stop at a store and he picks up Johnny a pack of cigarettes and matches as well as a dozen donuts for the gang and a six pack of Darry's favorite beer.**

 

**They arrive to find Pony and Soda playing cards at the kitchen table, Darry at work and Two-Bit off doing who knew what. Dally and Johnny take a seat opposite each other and he hangs around for about 45 minutes, until he absolutely has to leave for work lest he be late. H invites Johnny out for a cigarette knowing that he preferred to smoke outside even when everyone else smoked inside. It was just an excuse to get a moment alone with him before he left. He looks around a few times real good and makes sure neither of the Curtis boys can see them, then gives Johnny a brief but tight hug. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow? Drop by whenever, if ya feel like it. Otherwise I'll see you here." With that, he heads off.**

  
  
  
  


While Dallas was buying stuff at the store Johnny simply stood outside; scarred hands tucked away in the pockets of his jacket. As he waited he messed around with the empty box of matches in his pocket and his gaze swept over the street. Soon enough his eyes landed upon a small group of Socs that were driving down the street. His entire body tensed and his gaze stayed rather well focused on them as they started to slow down. There was only two of them so Johnny might stand a chance on his own but he was with Dallas as soon as the Socs noticed that as Dallas was heading for the door to head back out of the store they picked their pace back up and moved on. Their faces were unfamiliar so maybe they were newer to town and were just looking to establish their place but practically everyone knows Dallas and knows you shouldn't mess with him. 

 

Releasing a breath he hadn't really realized he'd been holding in he walked over to meet Dallas by the door, thanking him for the cigarettes and matches. He didn't see a reason to bring up what just happened so he kept his mouth shut about it and just started walking. The walk wasn't the best it could have been because his knee decided to start acting up on him but it was still time with Dallas and when he started to lag behind a bit the other slowed down some.

 

Once arriving he happily chats with everyone, looking at Dallas more than he really needed to but not so much that it would really be obvious. When invited outside to some he goes along and joins Dally out on the porch. The guy wasn't really expected since they were out in public and it made him the slightest bit anxious; although, it was outweighed for the most part by the happiness from the hug. "Yeah." He smiles a little at Dallas before he starts walking away and once he's a bit down the street Johnny lights a cigarette and smokes about half of it before outing it and heading back inside.

 

Soda ends up turning in earlier than Pony which leaves he and Johnny to just sit and chat for a but. It was the weekend so Pony didn't have school tomorrow and could get away with sleeping in some to outset staying up later with his slightly insomniatic friend.

  
  
  
**Work ends up being way more of a hassle than he had been prepared for. A pipe had sprung a leak and caused a lot of damage, which had backlogged the rest of the place. By the time Dally got to leave it was 18 hours later and he was far from impressed. He goes straight to the bar after work and has a few drinks to relax, hardly eating anything. This means that by 3pm he is a bit wasted and ends up crashing in his room to finally sleep.**


	6. Day 6

**He doesn't wake up until 10pm and is a bit disoriented at first, not even remembering what day it was. It was a bit late to go to the Curtis household without knowing for sure if Johnny would be there still, plus he is tired and cranky and hungry so he just stays in and drinks more, though at least he has a real meal this time. Sometime around 3am he heads to bed again and wonders about Johnny and how he's doing and if he was an asshole for not going out to look for him. He wakes up by noon the next day and despite his hangover heads over to the Curtis' place.**

 

**When he arrives he discovers Darry is the only one around, saying Johnny and Pony had gone out. So he sits with him and they play cards and have a few beers until the others eventually show up again. They talk about how shitty it is to work so often and how sore they are and it's nice to be able to vent with someone who understands. He also asks Darry if he can help Dally load up his few things into a truck Buck is lending him to move.**

  
  
  


Johnny ended up spending the night at the Curtis house since him and Pony ended up falling asleep on the couch. Come morning when Soda got up they were both dead asleep and him moving about to get ready for work didn't do anything to pull them from their slumber. Around 10am is when Pony woke up and Johnny woke up about an hour later. After seeing the time he felt a little guilty for not going to see Dally so he said bye to Pony and Two-But, who had arrived a little bit after Pony had woken up.

 

With his hands in his pockets Johnny messed absent-mindedly with the match box and kept his eyes focused on what was going on around him. He was always weary of the streets when walking alone given he knew he was easy prey. Thankfully for him it seemed like most Socs were in the nicer part of town or possibly even still at home so the wall was rather uneventful. As soon as Johnny arrived at Buck's he headed up and have a knock on Dally's door, unknowing of the fact that he was currently downstairs and in the bar. With no answer and the door locked he stuffed his hands back into his pocket and went to try and head into Buck's. He didn't even manage two steps into the place when he was stopped and shooed out. Not feeling like having to argue or anything with anyone he gave in and simply took a seat on the steps. He stayed there until about 2pm when he started to feel real worried and left to head back to the Curtis house to see if anyone had heard from him. 

 

When arriving Pony told him that he hadn't seen or heard from Dallas all day which only made Johnny start to sonic more. What if something bad had happened at his job and he got hurt? Or maybe he did something wrong again and got himself locked up? What.... What if he was starting to have second thoughts something so he was avoiding him and the gang so he couldn't find him? What if he left town or something!?

 

As ideas started to spin in his mind and his panic grew it showed easily on his face, causing Pony to speak up and ask if something was wrong. Two-Bit had left a while ago and the older Curtis brothers were both still at work so the house was empty. He just have a shake of his head and began pacing. He couldn't say anything about what was going on, not even to Pony who he had talked to about everything in the past. It made his stomach churn even more; however, Pony still spoke up and managed to talk him down enough to get him to stay for a while. As soon as Darry for home Pony asked if he and Johnny could go out for a bit of a walk. He explained Johnny wasn't feeling to hit and needed to just walk for a but but Pony hadn't wanted him to go on his own. With that in mind Darry let them go and they were gone for a few hours.

 

The whole time Johnny was almost silent and Pony understood. Things were running around in the others head he was sure and he wasn't going to push him to say anything. 

 

By the time they made it back Dallas had arrived at the Curtis household and it was fairly obvious that he was drunk. An anger sparked in his eyes as he gazed at the other in his drunken state. Be had been panicking and this whole time Dallas had just been out getting boozed up. He wanted to talk to him, yell at him. Tell him that it wasn't okay to do stuff like that to him now that they were whatever the hell it was that they were but he but his tongue. This wasn't the time or place for it and he knew it.

  
  
  


**When the younger boys return the two older boys greet them with gusto, obviously in high spirits. They invite them to the table and even offer them each a beer. Dally sneaks a few glances at Johnny, happy to see him but feeling guilt nag at him like a stomach ache. It had been over a day since they'd seen each other so he couldn't imagine the kid was too pleased to see him now in such a state. "Hey Johnny, Pony, welcome home. Just in time for a new round of rummy." It is weird not being able to say what he wants to say but an apology will have to wait.**

 

**Dally tries his best to seem casual. "Hey, didn't mean to miss you yesterday, I was stuck at work 18 hours and was pretty pissed about it." He hoped that would be good enough for now and that it didn't sound as weird to anyone else as it sounded to him. Against his better judgement he feels just a tad uncomfortable not being able to comfort Johnny or explain himself. Darry shuffles and deals them all out a hand and for the next hour they all just hang around. Soda shows up and decides to stick around for a bit too; by the time the sun is setting they're all a little happy and inebriated (save for Johnny).**

 

**Eventually everyone decides that they're hungry and Dally offers to go pick up a pizza or something. He wants to invite Johnny but isn't sure if he should, or if that would prompt anyone else to want to come for the trip. Honestly it wouldn't be a hassle but he would like to be able to talk to the kid one on one sooner than later. After a bit of an internal debate he decides, fuck it, and just asks. Pony pipes up that he wouldn't mind coming along and Dally has to hide his disappoint me as he ruffles the kids hair. He wasn't going to refuse him for his own personal, selfish reasons. He and Johnny would get to talk later, or tomorrow, whenever turned out to be best.**

  
  
  


Johnny declines the beer, not in the mood for the bitter and rather disgusting taste of beer. Plus even though hed gotten real drunk that one night he really just wasn't one for booze. Trying to just bury how you feel in a mind altering substance was no way to deal with problems and right now he wasn't to happy and needed to just think about things.

 

He does his best to just shove aside his feelings and enjoy hanging out with the gang and is rather successful; although, when Dally apologises he can help but be unhappy. He gets that Dally doesn't like having to work such long shifts and that he was pissed for being kept overtime but going and getting drunk wasn't how to handle things. That exact type of things is what helped lead to his father being the way he was today and if Dallas ever turned into anything resembling that man Johnny didn't think he could really handle it. "S'okay Dal." He passes it off nonchalantly But the look on his eyes as he gazed at the other says that it wasn't really. 

 

For a while he's able to keep his mind off of everything and just enjoy the time with the gang and was happy when even Soda joined them given he'd been around less and less lately. He'd never been real close with Soda like he was with Pony but he was still a cool guy and it was nice seeing him around. Made things feel a little more normal. Soon enough everyone started talking about being hungry but Johnny really wasn't. His anxiety has thrown off his appetite and even though things had evened out for the most part he just want hungry. 

 

He knew he needed to talk with Dallas but out in public like they would be picking up a pizza wasn't the place for it. It was going to have to be a really serious conversation because Dallas just dropping off the nap for a day to go get drunk after work just wasn't okay. "I better stay here for now. I've been walkin' a lot today and my knee's actin' up. Best not to push it to hard." That was mostly a lie. His knee was sort of unhappy he'd done so much walking and pacing about but it wasn't anything that would really keep him from going. It was really more of an excuse to keep from being in a bit more of a one on one environment with his for now. Sure Pony would be there and he could focus on him rather than Dally but he felt like that might just make things worse.

  
  
  


**Dally doesn't argue and hardly even lets it phase him, or least on the outside. Inside he feels a strange mixture of fear and anger that he isn't used to, let alone coming from Johnny of all people. He and Pony take off and smoke and joke but the whole time he is thinking about Johnny. It was right of him to be upset but Dallas hadn't anticipated how awkward it would be. Thankfully being drunk helps him ignore it for now. They make good time on their way to the parlor, Dally being able to walk his normal speed since Pony's knees were just fine.**

 

**He orders an extra large three meat delight with extra cheese, and grabs a six pack of pop. If Johnny wasn't in the mood for booze perhaps pop would be an acceptable substitute. The two joke around and shove each other while they wait, until one of the employees yells at them to simmer down or get out. When the pizza is finally ready Dally scoops it up and gets Pony to carry the pop. He slips them the bird before they leave, not being able to control his wild side. He'd been playing the good boy for too long now it seemed and missed getting into mischief.**

 

**On their way back a car slows down, the same one from the last few times, and someone tosses a coke bottle at them that smashes at Pony's feet and startles him. Against his better judgement thanks to the booze and lack of Johnny being around, he shoves the pizza at Pony and tells him to buzz off. It takes him three times to get the kid to finally listen, Pony worried Dallas was getting himself into a mess, but he hardly cared. His last fight had been almost two weeks ago, the longest amount of time he'd ever gone without hitting someone or being hit. Thankfully only three socs step out of the vehicle, figuring 3 on 1 was good eyes even against Dallas.**

 

**It is a good fight in his opinion. Despite being inebriated his reflexes seem to be up to par, and he dances around the large young men with ease. Fighting alone gave him the freedom of focusing solely on himself and his opponents. He ends up taking a few hits and bleeding but they are the ones who scurry off before he's ready to call it quits. They drive off with shouts of obscenities and threats for the future and he just hollers back. Someone opens their window and yells at him to shut up before they call the cops and he just yells back threateningly, but takes off.**

 

**He is tempted to head back to his place to avoid anyone thinking he hadn't deserved getting roughed up a bit. In all honesty it feels good to ache and bleed and makes him feel just a tad bit better about hurting Johnny's feelings. When he arrives back at the Curtis place they are all on edge until he bursts out with a quick ,energetic story about the mess. Pumped full of adrenaline he was a bit more sober now, and after washing up he starts to eat. The food helps too. Within an hour they are all back to laughing and joking and playing games and even Two-Bit is there, so the whole gang is together again even if only for a bit.**

  
  
  


While Pony and Dallas were gone Darry talked to Johnny about his knee. Asking if it was giving him a lot of trouble and things like that. Even though Johnny wasn't his brother Darry still at least tried to keep an eye on him and make sure he's okay. Johnny just says that he's been doing some extra walking recently with a lot of back and for from places recently. He just needs some real time to let it rest and then he should be fine.

 

When Pony arrives alone everyone looks at him with a bit of a questioning look. Quickly he explains what happened and Johnny's stomach does a flip and he feels a little sick. God why does Dally have to keep doing  _ things _ . He gets that Dallas is used to not really caring or thinking about anyone but himself but now that they talked about all that was going on Johnny thought that he would try. 

 

He refuses to let how he feels show though his expression but can't help it showing in his eyes. Thankfully the only one who can read how he was feeling through his eyes was Pony and he knew that Johnny was already on edge so he didn't question him. Then when Dallas makes it back Johnny just reacts like everyone else. He hold back his unhappiness and just continues in with the night. Although he acts a little more distant with Dally, more like he had when they didn't know eachother very well. 

 

They all spent a good couple more hours together just joking around and hanging out like good times. Although soon enough people were sort of shooed out of the house by Pony and Soda when Darry went to lay down. He needed rest and the gang being there chatting away wouldn't allow that. Pony offered to let Johnny stay the night there but he said he'd just sleep out in the lot tonight. This wasn't true but people just didn't spend the night at Dally's so he had to lie. Dallas offered to walk him there like normal and he accepted and once they were about a block away from the Curtis house He said they needed to go to his apartment and talk.

 

He stayed quiet for the most part during the wall, trying to pull together his thoughts and figure out all that he wanted to say and try to get across the other. He had no clue if he'd actually stick to anything he thought of but at least he would have some sort of outline on what he wanted to get out. Once inside the apartment with the door closed right and the music from below making sure no one would be able to hear them Johnny turned to Dallas with a hurt and sort of angry expression. "What the Hell Dallas? I get that you had a bad time at work but going off and getting drunk isn't how to deal with it. Especially when you're gone for practically an entire day without talking to me to tell me you're okay. Or any of the gang for that matter! I was scared Dal! I thought you had gotten hurt or-or," he started pacing, "that something went wrong and you pissed someone off and got sent to jail again! Or that you even just thought about what was going in with us the whole time and decided that it wasn't worth all the hassle." Stopping he looks to Dallas again. "And then tonight you were like hungover or something and still drinking more!" More pacing. "And then you got into a fight after I've talked to you about that! I get scared and worried and hate seeing you hurt!" His chest was heaving as he tried to keep himself better under control and to hold back tears of anger that pricked at his eyes.

  
  
  


**Dally almost wants to laugh at the way the walk home is silent and tense. He feels as though he's a small child about to get scolded by a parent, but of course he doesn't laugh. Johnny has every right to be a bit miffed, he just hoped the smack down wasn't too drawn out. When they arrive he kicks off his shoes and peels off his shirt, sighing heavily and going for the hours old jug of water. He plops down and listens and watches Johnny pace. "I was too tired to go walkin'," is his simple response. "I didn't mean to worry you." He supposed in the future he would have to try harder not to be such a douche, even if it was by accident.**

 

**He gazes down at his bruised knuckles, happy at the split and discolored skin. "They were going to hassle us no matter what I did, I thought the least I could do was save Pony and the pizza. I didn't go lookin' for a fight, you know it is with those thick skulled jock straps." At least he's keeping his cool. It wouldn't do either of them any good if he got hostile, but he had no intentions of doing so unless Johnny just wouldn't let up on the matter. Shit happened and he had been playing nice as best he could for a while. What was one little scrap? "I'm sorry okay? What more do you want from me? I can't take it back so what's the use of dwelling on it?"**

 

**The music vibrates the wall he leans against and it's almost pleasant, almost. Now that he's trying to relax he can feel all the aches and pains from the past few days. He shifts a bit to crack his spine a little before lighting a cigarette and gesturing for Johnny to sit down with him. "I promise I'll do better next time. I wasn't tryin' to avoid you or nothin'." He hopes the sincerity he feels is conveyed in his voice or his face, whatever it took for Johnny to know he did have some regrets.**

  
  
  


"What's the use dwelling on it? Dal they aren't gonna forget what you did and they're gonna come back with more people next time. What if any of the gang is with you? What if  _ I’m  _ with you when they come back? I can't fight as well as I used to be able to after the accident and just become easy prey. Plus you start messing and beatin' up the Socs more again they're gonna start comin' back at all of us with a vengeance, not just you. People get caught in the crossfire and it ain't fair to 'em." With his high emotions Johnny began to ramble and only stopped when he realised what he was doing. With a couple deep breaths he just looks at Dallas, taking in how he looked and trying to read him. His face show very little but his eyes... He could see at least a tiny spark of regret and he guessed that was really the best he would probably ever get from Dally. They were raised differently and in different environments. Dal had to get tough quick where Johnny had to simply learn how to take a beating and think about what actions might cause specific reactions. 

 

He sat down and was quiet as he worked on calming himself down properly. "I know Ya weren't... I just get to thinkin' to much and things go bad.." Carefully he leaned against Dally's shoulder and took a hold of his hand, examining the cuts that were on his knuckles and the bruises that were already forming. More scars and more stories. It's what a lot of greaser seemed to live for. They leave their mark on the world in their own ways but the world bites back. They wear these scars like badges but Johnny never saw them as anything spectacular. His body was littered in scars, even more so after the fire, and he was still known as being one of the weaker greaser around. Killing a guy didn't do much to help his rep because most everyone thought that if Johnny ever stepped out of line like that again and made such a big mess they wouldn't be so kind to him. Hero or not he's a grease.

  
  
  


**Dallas does his best to be attentive as Johnny vents, knowing full well the kid had every right to be upset. Normally he wouldn't give two fucks about what someone else wanted but Johnny had a few good point. He may not care much about the other greasers getting flak for his actions but even didn't want anyone in his gang to get any backlash from it. With a sigh he nods and agrees, lighting a smoke. "No no no it's definitely not that." He didn't want Johnny to think he wasn't interested in him when he so prominently was.**

 

**He smokes for a bit and doesn't say much else, trying to think over the others words carefully before responding with his own.  It would be no good to hurt his feelings further. When Johnny takes up residence next to him Dally relaxes and leans against him in turn. They both stare down at his knuckles.**

 

**He doesn't say anything for a long while, mostly getting lost in his own hazy thoughts. Eventually he sighs again and nuzzles his cheek against the top of Johnny's head. "I'll try and be better, I swear. No more wild Dallas Winston. I'll be a good boy." He mocks himself a little bit but decides that it is for the best. However he figured the socs would come for him eventually to get their revenge as they were never the type to let themselves be one upped for too long.**

  
  
  


Johnny closes his eyes and smiles softly when Dallas speaks, He wills himself to believe his words, wanting so desperately to trust him about this. Turning his head he nuzzles into Dally's shoulder/neck and places a very light kiss there before speaking a quiet thank you.

 

Exhaustion was quickly trying to take over Johnny. He had been a bit of an emotional wreck for the bulk of the day and the rest of it he was fighting to keep himself from outwardly showing how he was feeling. It wasn't an easy thing for him given out of the whole gang he was probably one of the most emotionally driven ones out of all of them. Well other than Dallas when he and Johnny weren't hanging out so much and he seemed to let anger and bitterness drive a lot of what he did. Johnny was prone to the softer emotions where Dallas seemed to be drawn to raw emotions. 

 

Despite how he was feeling Johnny didn't really want to sleep any. His mind was still rather spun up even though his body ached and tugged him towards resting. He'd done a lot more walking around and pacing today than he'd meant to and had just overall been going around more with Dallas so his body, specifically his leg, was having to try and adjust.

  
  
  


**Though he has nothing but good intentions with those words he knows that he is bound to get in trouble again sooner or later. Staying out of trouble had always been hard for him, not that he'd ever really put much effort into it until now. Besides he knew for a fact that despite how hard he tried trouble always came to him. In the same way that Johnny was a target for being a runt, he was a target because of his anger. The things he'd done in the past would haunt him until the day he died and there were some people out there who would love nothing more than to see him dead.**

 

**He yawns a few times and keeps quiet, lost in thought and exhaustion himself. His head swims and he wishes he had another beer or something, if only to keep him awake long enough for Johnny to start falling asleep. A few minutes pass with nothing more than gentle touches and breathing. It's pleasant but does nothing to help him feel more awake. "Will you stay the night? I have to work tomorrow, but..." Dallas had never been someone to say "i miss you" or anything of the sort. "But I wanna spend time with you."**

 

**The sooner he got moved the better. He would tell Johnny he could bring Pony over, he would get a radio or tv maybe, just so there was something for the kid to do to keep him around. If things went well and Dally managed to not cause too much strife for the kid, there would be no more worrying about where he was at night. He half expected Johnny's parents to thank him for taking the kid off their hands. He sighs heavily at that and flexes both hands, bones aching and skin stinging.**

  
  
  


At Dally's words Johnny smiles and gives a small nod. "Yeah.. I'll stay.." It was nice hearing that Dallas wanted him around and wanted to spend time with him. Sure he knew that he did, but it's always a nice thing to get confirmation like this.

 

With a yawn Johnny pulls away a little and gazed at Dallas' face, exhaustion rather obvious in his expression and how he was holding himself. "Let's get some sleep, Dal. Mm real tired." Anything else he could possibly think of to say could wait until tomorrow. For now he needed to allow his body to rest to try and get back the energy he so desperately needed to function.

  
  
  


**As much as he wanted to stay awake and try to entertain the other, being told to sleep is hard to refuse. So they shift about and get comfortable, Dallas on his back with an arm over his eyes and Johnny in the other. He falls asleep rather quickly and doesn't remember any of his dreams upon waking several hours later.**

  
  
  


Johnny isn't able to fall asleep as easily as Dallas is but it still takes him less than two hours to nod off. Really that's good for him because there are nights where he'll just lay there awake and never get even a minute of sleep. He was at least comfortable and pretty happy being able to simply curl up against Dal until he could get to sleep. It was really comforting to him and the steady breathing and warmth of the other helped Johnny to relax. 


	7. Day 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's real short given we decided to do a time skip which will be in the next post.

**It's sometime before noon when he stirs and groans and pulls himself up. His body is sore and he has a bit of a headache, not to mention his stomach. He knew that all he had to do was tough it out for an hour or two and then he could eat something and would probably feel better.**

 

**It is impossible to get up all the way without disturbing Johnny's slumber so Dally just sits there and has a cigarette between sipping water. Eventually the kid begins to stir and he is relieved, wanting to go to the bathroom as well as freshen up. For a dude labelled as a greaser he sure did shower more than most of the people he knew. He enjoyed them because the water felt good especially on his back, in fact half the time he didn't even use soap he just wanted to be surrounded by steam and warmth. "Morning. I wanna shower, do you? They have like a locker room set up here, for the shows." Riding and wrangling definitely left one filthy and sweaty.**

  
  
  


His slumber was rather tame and even though he didn't remember any of the dreams he had at least he hadn't woken up in a panic. That meant he had no nightmares or that they were at least very tame. It was still odd to wake up curled up with someone but it wasn't bad. It was actually a really nice odd that made him feel loved. It was weird truly feeling loved like this but it made him happy. He gave a yawn and rubbed at his eye, flinching back a little because he had completely forgotten that he still had a black eye and putting pressure on it like that hurt. The surprising jolt of pain at least helped him to wake up a little better. "Mornin'.."

 

The offer of a shower sounded great but the first thing his mind jumped to was to say no given the way it was put sort of sounded like they would shower together. It wasn't that he was particularly against it? He just had a lot of unexplainable scars and fresh wounds from his father and others that he just didn't want to let Dallas see. He knew that the ones that were obviously done by his father Dallas would get unhappy seeing and the others Johnny just didn't want to get questioned about. Although when Dallas said it was sort of a locker room set up He thought that maybe he'd be able to shower and get changed without letting Dallas actually see him. "Shower sounds good." He decided that even if there wasn't separate set ups he could at least try and talk to Dally about it and see if he'd just wait outside while he showered and got changed.

  
  
  


**Dally nods and once he's finished his cigarette he leads Johnny down to the locker room. There are 4 shower heads but they all share a stall with nothing to separate them. There were also toilets and lockers, go figure, and Dally had to grab them some towels from a locked room (too many people had taken to drunkenly destroying or stealing the towels and Buck was sick of paying for new stuff only to have it lost or stolen again). He returns and sets them on a bench, wondering when he should do laundry next.**

 

**He strips without much worry about his body; he has his own fair share of scars but not nearly as many as the other, and he's never been all that self conscious of how he looks or his body. So far as he was aware he was good looking so there was no need to really think of things beyond that. He did however start to worry when he realized they would both be naked within proximity of each other. Half of his mind ran wild with the idea while the other half shied away. Nothing could be worse than making Johnny uncomfortable.**

 

**So he just tries his best not to look at the other even though he wants to, and once he starts noticing scars it's even more difficult to look away. He has no idea what to say or do so he just takes up whistling a tune as he bathes in an effort to make the air between them less tense. They share a bar of soap and bottle of shampoo, Dally keeping his stock in one of the lockers along with a few other basic necessities. It would be nice to have all his things together for once, soon enough.**

  
  
  


When they head into the locker room Johnny can't but start to feel anxious. There was no dividers at all so even with them using separate showers he would still be able to see him all too     easily. It made him uneasy and he started to get really worried. He didn't want Dallas to get unhappy. He didn't want him to see how many times he'd been hurt and see the deep purple bruises that were on his torso from the harsh kicks courtesy of his dad. He also didn't really want him to see the blush that rather quickly crept up onto his cheeks at the sight of the other without clothes. He'd seen Soda and even Darry occasionally going around on nothing but a towel but this was different. This was Dallas. The guy he loved and the only person he'd ever actually been attracted to in any way. 

 

Johnny only took off his jacket, shoes, and socks until Dallas had gone passed him. When taking the rest off he really didn't want Dally paying much attention to him. He was nothing but skin and bone with the slightest bit of muscle to him. There was a slight indent at his stomach where his ribs ended and it was rather easy to see the shape of his ribs. Funny enough this was actually the healthiest he's probably ever looked given recently he'd been eating more than once every few days. He really was thankful that Dallas was trying to be respectful and not really look at him while they showered though. Johnny had never liked his body. He had nothing to him, was covered from head to toe in scars, and was always on the shorter side. He never saw anything about his body to be proud of and that still stood today. Dallas had looks, hell the whole gang had looks, but Johnny was just a runt. Nothing much to look at really.

 

The hot water stung but felt nice as he cleaned himself up. It had been a real long time since he'd actually had a hot shower and he really would like to just sort of stand there for a while but he was to self conscious for that. As soon as he finished cleaning up he let the hot water run over him for about a minute and then turned off the water. Quickly he wrapped himself up in his towel to hide the scars and wounds. Thankfully they were good sized towels and so he could have it around his shoulders and it reached to about his knees. One of which had a long scar going across it and down his leg. They had to cut it open to get everything placed back in the correct place after the accident. It had done quite the job in his bones and the doctors had to sort of fight to get the pieces to at least mostly fit back together correctly. 

 

Now That he was clean he was wishing he had some clean clothes to put in and that he had some grease to put in his hair. He knew Dally wouldn't have any because greasing up his hair never really was his thing.

  
  
  


**From the time he towels off to the time he puts his clothes back on he avoids looking at Johnny, even though he wants to, and even though wanting to makes his cheeks flush. He gets dressed and puts the soap and shampoo away, briefly combing his hair and offering said comb to the kid. Now that they both had their grubby clothes on, Dally sans a shirt, he leads them back to his room. After a bit of talking they decide to go out for brunch, or rather, Dallas says he's hungry and that Johnny should come with him. He decided instead of asking Johnny if he wanted things he was going to just start giving them to him.**

 

**He pulls on a shirt and a jacket and they head out to the usual place. After eating they kill some time at the arcade again, though Dally doesn't spend nearly as much as he had the other day (as much as he wanted to spoil Johnny he had to be somewhat responsible with his money). When it comes about time to head for work he takes Johnny back to his room for a kiss goodbye. It's strange and annoying not being able to show affection when he wanted to, always having to wait until they were alone, but he can't be too mad about it. Being able to show Johnny any love was better than nothing, and seeing him smile was always rewarding.**

 

**Thankfully work goes by without much incident and soon enough he is home fast asleep.**

  
  
  


Johnny did his best to keep his gaze off of the other as well to try and keep away the tint of red that would come to his cheeks now and then when seeing him shirtless. He was attractive, no doubt about it. Once back into the apartment he finally properly looks back at Dallas as they talk and kill time. It really was nice after all that had happened yesterday. Sort of the calm after the storm really. 

 

It really was weird getting fed on such a regular basis now. It wasn't bad but just odd. One gets used to having to deal with hunger pains after spending so much of their life scrounging for even a bubble of something. He still ate small portions and tended to let Dal eat the extras he had though. It was nice to go back to the arcade to. He was perfectly fine with them not spending as much cash there this time because really he would hate it if Dallas ended up blowing practically all his money on him, especially since he really had no way to pay him back. Aware that Dallas would have to head off to work real soon Johnny was a little confused as to why they were heading back to his place but once inside it became apparent and he really couldn't be happier. These little bits of affection meant the world to him, especially since Dallas was actually going out of his to be able to show him he cared. Yeah he had a feeling of unhappiness twist in his chest that they had to come to a secluded and blocked off place to show each other affection but at least they were still able to. 


End file.
